Deliver Us
by pikaace
Summary: Slight Prince of Egypt AU A small fledgling is sent adrift to live among the humans to be saved from a lifetime of pain. Heaven has fallen and Angels have become enslaved by the forces of Hell, all except one. The fledgling would live and grow as a human before being faced with the truth of his origin and his true calling: to deliver the angels from the pits of Hell back to Heaven.
1. The Day Heaven Fell

**This children, is what happens when you get hooked on _Supernatural_, make Cas your favorite character, absolutely _fall in love _with the 'Angel Family' fandom, and then listen to the entire 'Prince of Egypt' soundtrack nonstop.**

**This is my very first REAL SPN fic (no the one shot doesn't count since I just retold one scene from an episode) so I'm curious to see what you think! Also I wanted to give you guys something to munch on while I finish 'Digitalia' (DAMN MY INSPIRATION FOR DYING SO MUCH ON THAT STORY!). **

**So I hope you think this beginning is intriguing enough for me to post the next part! Also, a few notes in this AU. **

**1\. Lucifer never fell; Crowley is the technical 'Devil' in this. Why? Cause Lucifer is TOO DAMN LOVABLE to be Satan! Seriously, how can you NOT love Luci? I don't care if he hates humanity; he's a sweetheart!**

**2\. Vessels don't exist. The angels look like their vessels already like all the fanart you see. Mostly because I hate reading too much into the mechanics of this world and doing the whole 'true form' thing would defeat the purpose of this story so DON'T QUESTION ME!**

**3\. I'm gonna go with the whole angel aging system that 1 Angel year= 100 human years for purposes that benefit this story.**

**Got it? Okay! ****I'm sure you guys are smart enough to figure the rest out! Enjoy!**

* * *

_With the sting of the whip on my shoulder._

_With the salt of my sweat on my brow._

_Elohim, God on high, can you hear your people cry?  
_

_Help us now, this dark hour!_

* * *

Balthazar covered his ears as explosions rang out through the ancient city. Gabriel held the young angel along with his sister Anael tightly as they were huddled in the corner of the abandoned stone hut they were hiding in. Michael and Lucifer were keeping a sharp eye out the window in case any Demons showed their faces.

Michael wanted to go out and take them on, but he knew that it would be hopeless. The numbers were too great, even with Lucifer fighting alongside him he would fall; the last thing he wanted was to go to Purgatory and leave his younger siblings alone.

It all started with a war that doomed Heaven from the start. The Demons, led by their king Crowley, mounted a full out assault on the gates of Heaven. Armed with stolen Angel Blades they easily took down Heaven's first line of defense and were hungry for Angel blood. None of the angels had been prepared for the strike.

The four archangels turned to their Father for guidance, but God was nowhere to be seen. Michael sent Lucifer and Gabriel to gather the fledglings together while he and Raphael tried to hold them off. Despite their efforts, the Demons managed to fight their way to Heaven's weapons; Heaven's hope for a fight was now in the custody of Hell.

The numbers in Demons were too great even for the two archangels; many of their soldiers had already been taken prisoner. It was only a matter of seconds before he and Raphael were cornered; using their last resort, they flew away from the battle to a safer corner of Heaven where they met up with Gabriel, Lucifer and the six fledglings they had taken with them. The rest of the fledglings were in the custody of other Angels.

Michael knew they had to take the fight away from Heaven; the last thing he wanted was for his Father's domain to be ravaged by the forces of Hell. With a final command, he ordered the remaining Angels to fly to Earth where the fighting would continue.

Raphael and Zachariah took three of the fledglings, Uriel, Samandriel, and Rachel, with them so they would have a better chance of survival. There was no way they could escape with six little seraphs trailing behind them. The Angels all flew to an ancient city in Egypt where the fighting had been continuing to this moment.

Michael and Lucifer watched out the window as their brothers and sisters fought valiantly only to be captured by those filthy Demons. Lucifer pounded the wall with his fist, "I can't stand just doing nothing!" he hissed angrily.

"They would easily outnumber us and you know it," Michael responded trying to keep his own feeling of helplessness in check.

Anael looked at Gabriel tearfully, "Are we going to die Gaby?" she asked, her eyes filled with hopelessness.

Gabriel smiled sadly as he stroked her red hair, "I don't know kiddo…I don't know," he said softly. Michael and Lucifer looked sadly at their baby siblings; the last thing they wanted for them was to see the heat of battle at such a young age.

"We should do something," Lucifer spoke up, "We could send the young ones away; hide them somewhere safe," He started but Michael shook his head.

"They're too young and this world is too large; they would never survive alone," he said.

"I'll stay with them," Gabriel volunteered but Michael shook his head again.

"It's too risky, all four of you would be easily spotted." He said.

Lucifer frowned, "But we can't just hide like cowards while our family is being slaughtered!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Michael yelled back.

Lucifer saw that even Michael's eyes were full of fear for their family's lives; they had never been in a battle this massive without their Father by their side. Already they could no longer feel the Graces of so many Angels including Raphael's and the fledglings he had with him; hope for victory was lost.

Lucifer sank to the ground in defeat and Michael tore his gaze away from Gabriel and the fledglings. There had to be some way to escape; even if only one of them could they had to try! Michael turned back to Gabriel as the youngest fledgling looked at him in confusion and slight fear.

Castiel: the last angel to have been created by the touch of God. Castiel was the youngest of them all and had no idea what horrors were going on right now and why; the fledgling was barely three years old in human years. A pit formed in Michael's stomach as a desperate idea came to his mind; an idea that would involve leaving the youngest of their kin in the hands of fate (not literally).

He barely got the words out of his mouth, "We can't hide, and we can't fight," he said before looking at Castiel's bright blue eyes, "But…we can give the youngest a chance."

Gabriel's eyes widened as he put the pieces together, "No…you can't mean…" he trailed off as he held the tiny fledgling tighter.

Lucifer turned to Michael in disbelief and rage, "You want to send him off to live with those brainless monkeys, with humans?!" he asked.

"They don't know of our existence; they will take care of him!" Michael argued but Lucifer shook his head.

"I will never see one of my brothers in the hands of those _abortions_!" he spat.

"Would you rather see him in the hands of a Demon?!" Michael shouted.

Lucifer was silent as Michael was right; between humans and Demons, Castiel had a better chance of survival with humans. Gabriel shook his head, "He's barely learned how to use his Grace; he'll have no idea how to control it unless an Angel is there to teach him!" he pointed out.

Michael nodded, "We'll seal his Grace in an object for him to keep; when the right time comes…he will learn how to receive and control it," He answered and took a deep breath, "Until the times comes…Castiel must live and grow among the humans; if we seal his Grace his body will become that of a human and age and function normally…his wings will be hidden and his Grace will not draw the Demons to him," Michael gazed at his sibling's faces, "I know it will be hard…but he is our only hope."

The other Angels looked at each other before their gaze turned to Castiel who was sitting quietly, still confused but smiling at his family. Castiel was such a bright and happy child; the image of him growing up being enslaved by a Demon was sickening. Lucifer ripped off one of the tattered curtains of the hut and gave it to Michael. Gabriel reluctantly handed Castiel to Michael who wrapped him tightly in the curtain. Gabriel stood up holding Balthazar and Anael's hands tightly.

Castiel looked at Michael, "Mikey, where we going?" he asked. Michael gave the fledgling a slight smile, "Someplace better little brother, I promise," he said.

Lucifer put a hand on Castiel's black hair, "Now listen carefully Cas; we need you to be quiet and stay still until we say so; can you do that?" he asked.

Castiel nodded, "Okay Luci," he whispered before snuggling into Michael's arms.

Michael nodded to his siblings, "Let's go."

* * *

_Deliver us!_

_Hear our call! Deliver us!_

_Lord of all remember us here in this burning sand!_

_Deliver us!  
_

_There's a land you promised us!  
_

_Deliver us to the Promised Land!_

* * *

The group peeked out the doorway; once they were sure the coast was free of Demons they ran down the street. They couldn't risk flying in case the Demons felt their Grace and gave chase. Gabriel kept an iron grip on his two charges as they ran as fast as they could out of the city. Narrowly escaping the sights of the Demons they reached the river that was a straight shot to the ocean; far away from all the materialized a large basket out of thin air, looking around a bit to make sure a Demon didn't sense his Grace, and Michael looked at Castiel.

"Can I talk now?" he asked innocently.

Michael smiled, "Yes you can; now let me put you in here," he said and gently placed the fledgling into the basket. The little Seraph struggled slightly from the tightly wrapped curtain until his arms were free and the curtain was a bit more comfy. The Angels all leaned over Castiel with sad smiles on their faces; for when Michael sealed his Grace, all of Castiel's memories of them would be sealed away. Three hundred years would be lost to him until he received his Grace once again.

Gabriel stroked his brother's hair, "Castiel, you're going to go away for a little while," he said.

Castiel looked confused, "Where'm I goin' Gaby?" he asked and tried to sit up, but Gabriel pushed him gently back down.

"You're going someplace far away without us, so we won't be with you for a while." He answered.

Castiel's look of confusion was replaced with sadness and slight fear, "Why? Can Balthy and Anna come with me?" he asked looking at the two young fledglings.

Lucifer shook his head, "They can't come with you, it's too dangerous." He said.

Michael nodded, "We need you to be strong; we'll come see you as fast as we can, we promise," he said holding Castiel's small hand. Castiel nodded and Balthazar placed something around his neck. It was a bronze necklace with a single wing on it facing the left.

"This will help you remember us," Balthazar said holding up his own necklace which contained a wing facing the right side covered with Enochian symbols, "As long as you wear this we'll always remember each other," he said.

Castiel smiled, "I won't forget you Balthy; I won't forget any of you." he said sweetly which only made the pain greater for the older Angels. The sound of yells could be heard in the distance and the Angel's knew that it was time. Michael placed two fingers on Castiel's forehead; the fledgling began to feel drowsy as Gabriel and Lucifer leaned closely to him.

"Good-bye Cas." Gabriel whispered before planting a kiss on his forehead, allowing a few tears to slip from his eyes.

Lucifer placed a hand on his small cheek, "Be strong; find us and deliver us from evil." he whispered.

Balthazar and Anael watched sadly as Castiel slowly drifted off to sleep and let go of Michael's hand, as if he had just taken his final breath. His tiny wings wilted completely and vanished from sight. Michael lifted his fingers away from Castiel's forehead before placing them on the necklace. A white light came from the necklace and Michael's fingers as Castiel's Grace was stored inside the piece of jewelry.

Michael also carved Castiel's name among the Enochian symbols into the bronze wing with a wave of his finger, "Never forget who you are little brother; we'll be waiting for you." He whispered before placing the lid of the basket tightly on the basket.

Anael and Balthazar watched from the river bank as Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel waded into the river with the basket containing Castiel. They placed it in the water; with a firm nod to one another, they let go and the basket began to slowly drift away with the current.

_'Father…if you're still out there,'_ Michael thought, _"please…guide our brother to a place where he can be safe.' _

The three archangels made their way out of the water with heavy hearts just as Demons surrounded them. Balthazar and Anael buried their faces in Gabriel's robe as they stared at the Demons with hatred. The circle of Demons parted slightly as a female Demon with blonde hair walked towards them with a twisted smile on her face.

"Lilith," Lucifer growled.

"Mind your manners now, we don't want any mess to clean up," said Demon replied as the Demons around her raised their Angle Blades slightly. Lilith stepped forwards, "Now, come along quietly and we'll introduce you to a nice little cell in the Pit; Crowley hopes you'll enjoy your stay."

* * *

Meanwhile, completely unknown to the forces of Hell, Castiel lay sound asleep in his basket as it exited from the river to the ocean, the currents gently rocking him.

The basket would float across the ocean for days until washing up on the shore where a woman named Amelia Novak would be walking, her baby daughter Claire in a stroller.

She would find the basket, open it, and Castiel would awaken, his blue eyes empty of memories of his true family.

* * *

_Deliver us!_

_Send a shepherd to shepherd us,_

_And deliver us to the Promise Land!_

_Deliver us to the Promise Land!_

_Deliver us!_

* * *

**Yep. Even here God is the ultimate dead-beat dad. Seriously, at this point in the show, I think God really IS dead! Dude! Get down on Earth and control your bat-shit crazy kids! And bring Gabriel, Balthazar and Samandriel back! Cas is the only DECENT Angel left! Get off your ass God!**

**Oh, and don't ask me how the Grace thing works. I think we're better off not questioning it. If the show doesn't explain how it works, why should this story or any other SPN fanfic for that matter?**

**Anyway, I hope this prologue was good enough for you! 'Deliver Us' fits so damn well doesn't it?**

**Review and tell what you think!**


	2. A Typical Hunting Day

**TIME SKIPS! CAUSE WHY NOT?!**

* * *

_25 years later…_

"Hello Dean."

"Son of a-" Dean yelped before whirling around to face his friend, "Dammit Cas, don't _do_ that!"

Castiel smiled slightly, "Will you ever get used to that?" he asked.

Dean rolled his eyes and Sam smirked, "You're quiet as a mouse Cas; I don't think _anyone_ will get used to it." he pointed out.

Castiel nodded as Dean shook his head, "Whatever, just knock it off; it's just creepy."

Castiel smiled and pulled a newspaper out of his trench coat pocket, "I found a case; three women went to an old church and went missing over the past week." he said.

Dean and Sam looked at the paper where three photos of girls were printed. Sam sighed, "Demons again."

Dean groaned, "How many times do we have to go after these SOBs before they _stay_ down?"

Sam gave a silver blade to Dean, "My guess, is when we run them through with these." He answered as sarcastically.

Castiel nodded, "The church is about ten miles from here." He said and Dean nodded.

"Great; let's go get those bastards," With those words, the three piled into Dean's Impala and drove off.

As they drove Dean looked at Castiel through the mirror; he was fingering something around his neck and Dean rolled his eyes, "What, is that a habit for you or something?" he asked.

"What?" Castiel asked with a confused expression.

"Almost every second of the day you're fiddling with that damn necklace of yours," Dean elaborated.

"It's special," Castiel said.

"Yeah well, newsflash; the thing ain't gonna disintegrate if you stop touching for more than five seconds," Dean shot back.

"It's all I have Dean; and for the record, I'm not the only one who always wears a special amulet all the time." Castiel said.

Sam let out a small laugh and Dean's ears turned light pink, "Shut up," he muttered.

Castiel smiled lightly before looking back at his necklace; he traced the perfect writing that carved his name into the bronze wing; according to his mother, Amelia, it was around his neck when she found him; it also was what made Amelia name him Castiel, as odd as the name was.

Even though Castiel was about three when Amelia and his sister Claire found him and took him in, he had no memories of who his real family was. All he remembered was Amelia's face when she found him that day in a basket on the beach wearing a white robe and that necklace bearing his name. Amelia always called him her fallen angel because of that robe he was wearing.

Castiel sighed through his nose as he stared at the necklace; whoever gave him up must have had a good reason, but why? Why did his family give him up? Did he have any brothers of sisters? Was his family even alive anymore?

…Would he ever find them?

* * *

"Stop him!"

"He's getting away"

"Stop you Angel scum!"

A lone figure breathed heavily as he ran for his life. His broken shackles clanged against each other as he looked desperately for the way out. He ran across the scorching ground that his feet had long adjusted to past his enslaved brothers and sisters who had stopped working momentarily to watch what was going on.

The man had just reached the exit when a hand grabbed the back of his tattered robe, turning him face to face with a Demon, "Where do you think you're going?" he sneered.

The man nearly gave in when another figure appeared behind the Demon, "Away from you," he whispered. With a cry of pain, the Demon flickered with light and fell to the ground, an Angel Blade embedded in his back.

The figure looked up to see a smaller figure standing in front of him, "You!" he exclaimed in surprise; how had he escaped?

"Go now!" His friend ordered.

"Come with me; they'll kill you!" The man said but his friend shook his head.

"We'll be easily spotted together; go on, I can take them," he said before giving the man a shove.

The man hesitantly kept running, trying to ignore the urge to go back, but he had to keep going or else all this effort would be in vain. Finally, the man reached the familiar black gates that were the entrance of Hell. He could hear the Demons close behind causing him to go faster. With a final sprint, the man ran through the open gates where he was met with blinding sunlight.

The next thing he knew, he was crawling out of a hole in the middle of nowhere. He breathed in the cool air and welcomed the feeling of the grass beneath his bare feet; it had been too long since he felt sunlight; despite an Angel's slow ageing, it had felt like an eternity. As the hole behind him closed, the man faintly heard a familiar and pained scream that could only belong to the one who helped him escape.

He was slightly relieved that he didn't see a flash of light, but that didn't ease the pain of hearing his brother's pained screams, "Samandriel…you bloody idiot…"The man whispered.

He shakily got up; the Demons would be tracking his every move now that he had escaped, and with these blasted shackles on him he was as helpless as a human. He turned away from the now sealed hole and began to run; he had to find help.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Castiel looked at the church; it was white and looked years old with peeling paint and growing vines along the walls to show for it. "Odd hideout choice for a Demon." Dean commented as he, Sam, and Castiel loaded their rifles.

"I called all the missing girls' family and friends and told them to Demon-proof the house just in case," Sam said as they approached the church slowly.

Dean shook his head and grinned, "Man, I don't know what I like more; the fact that Demon-hunting and protection is now a world-wide thing or the law that everyone has to have some kind of anti-possession trinket on them at all times," he said.

Ever since the Gates of Hell opened twenty-five years ago, the world was overrun with Demon activity. Everyone made a point to spread the teachings about how to spot and protect themselves from the supernatural. The governments even passed a law saying that everyone needed to have either a tattoo, or amulet to prevent Demons from possessing them. As a result, many Demon crimes became hit-and-runs with Demons running away instead of fighting the moment a hunter stepped in to preserve their vessels since they were now nearly impossible to find.

"Cas, you go around the back; Sam and I will take the front," Dean said.

Castiel nodded and quietly moved to his position. He peeked in through the back door to watch as Sam and Dean crept through the front. From what Castiel could make out, there were about three Demons in there piling the bodies of the three missing women onto the floor; were they preparing some kind of ritual?

Castiel watched as Sam and Dean took action, shooting one Demon dead. The other two took action and engaged the two brothers. Castiel took this opportunity to enter the church and sneak up behind the two Demons; this was where his quiet nature had the advantage.

Sam easily managed to take out the one he was fighting but the other had Dean by the neck. The Demon, now desperate, knocked Dean's rifle away and threw Sam against the wall.

The Demon held Dean in a headlock with a hidden blade pressed to the hunter's throat, "Don't move or he dies!" the Demon yelled.

Sam slowly got up, but not before spotting Castiel in his hiding place. They silently communicated and Sam got to his feet, "Alright, take it easy man," he said, attempting to stall.

Castiel, ducking in front of the front bleacher, took his aim. With careful precision, Castiel fired a salt round into the Demon's head. The Demon fell over, releasing Dean who looked a bit shaken as he wiped the Demon blood off the back of his head, "Jesus Cas; maybe a little warning next time?" he asked harshly as he caught his breath.

"You're welcome." Castiel said with a small glare, leaning his rifle on his shoulder.

The three turned to the ritual space and examined the markings carved into the floor, "What kind of mojo were they trying to pull off?" Dean asked.

Sam looked at the carvings closely and shook his head, "I have no idea," He turned to Castiel, "Any ideas Cas?"

Castiel frowned, "This isn't any kind of ritual I've ever seen." He said.

Sam took out his phone and took a picture of the symbols, "Well, there's probably someone who does; I'll call up Bobby later." He said.

Dean nodded, "Right; so, anyone hungry?"

* * *

***holds up hands* NO SAMANDRIEL IS NOT DEAD! I wouldn't do that! I want the show to bring him back as much as you all do! No Angels are going to die in this fic (except maybe Metatron but he isn't in this story).**

**And don't ask me how the gates of hell work for angels and demons. I'm guessing its just like a doorway for them or something. This show leaves a lot of mechanics unchecked if you haven't noticed.**

**Man, if Demons were really world wide it would make hunting SO much easier. Also, the reason this is happening is because all the Angels are in Hell right now. There's no more balance between good and evil so the humans have to take charge.**

**So yeah, basically, Cas is human in this cause Michael sealed his grace in that necklace remember? He is now a hunter along with Team Free Will because there's no place he'd rather be! Oh did I mention Destiel's going to be hinted at in this? If you squint, you'll see it, but this is mostly family focused so don't worry, no lemons here!**

**REVIEW AND RECEIVE PIE!**


	3. A Stranger or a Victim?

**Alright, my summer's pretty much started so let's get this show on the road! I must say, I was pleased with the amount of fav/follow alerts on my email! Hopefully that keeps going! **

**Enjoy the rest! And tell me if I'm doing a good job writing these guys if you would be so kind! (It's surprisingly difficult...)**

* * *

Castiel, Dean, and Sam sat in Bobby's living room as they poured over the research, "I can't make heads or tails of this," Bobby said, snapping a book shut, "The Demon half of the symbols are familiar but I've never seen them in this arrangement before, and it doesn't help that the other half of these symbols are unknown."

Sam shrugged, "Maybe it's some kind of old ritual; like one that hasn't been used in years," he suggested.

Dean nodded, "Yeah well, if that's the case then someone must have written it down somewhere; Cas would you stop playing with that damn thing?" he barked. Castiel flinched and let go of his necklace, which he had been staring at again. Dean shook his head, "I swear man, it's like that thing possesses you," he said.

Castiel held up the necklace again, "I just noticed that some of the symbols on the ritual match the ones on this pendant," he said catching everyone's attention. They gathered around Castiel who gave them the necklace showing them the faded marks on the edges of the wings. A few symbols were even more prominent where Castiel's name was carved.

"Cas, where did you get this?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know; I've had it ever since Amelia found me," he answered.

"Well then, did you find out what company made it?" Sam asked.

Castiel nodded, "I did that a couple years back; no company had ever manufactured this before," he said, "My family must have given this to me, so it could be hand-made."

Dean rubbed his head, "Man, now I feel bad for yelling at you about it."

Bobby looked closely at the pendant, "This is perfect; too perfect to be handmade," he said, giving it back to Castiel.

"So, if we can find wherever these symbols are from, we can probably figure out what ritual that was," Sam said.

"Worth a try," Bobby said and everyone headed back to their books and laptops.

A few hours later, Castiel got up, "I'm gonna go for a walk; I'll be back in a bit," he said.

"Take a blade!" Bobby called after him; Castiel waved the one that was sitting in his pocket and exited the house.

Castiel walked down the path until he came to the road. As he walked along the road he looked at the symbols on the winged pendant; what could this mean? Tons of theories flew through his head.

Could the ones who gave him this necklace know about these symbols? If they did, what did they mean? Could they be a symbol of his ancestry? Could it have been symbols of protection? They _did_ send him adrift in a basket after all; that's not exactly a safe method of travel for a three year old. He still wondered how on earth he survived that.

Castiel was snapped out of his thoughts when he spotted a lone figure hobbling down the road towards him. The man looked about his age; maybe a few years older but Castiel could tell he was not in good condition. Castiel picked up his pace and approached him, "Excuse me, are you alright?" he asked.

The man barely looked at him before his legs buckled from under him. His head would have hit the street had Castiel not caught him, "Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Castiel called giving his shoulder a shake and getting a look at the man.

He had short blonde hair and a slight goatee; his clothes (if you could even call them that) were ragged, torn, streaked with dirt and mud and limply hanging off him. But the strangest thing was that he had shackles around his wrists with broken chains; the cuffs had strange symbols carved into them that seemed very close to Demon symbols.

Castiel didn't have his phone on him to call 911, so Bobby's would be the best place to take him for now. "Hold on," he said to the barely conscious man as he draped the man's arm around his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. Castiel walked as fast as he could towards Bobby's house, luckily he didn't walk far.

Castiel got to the door and managed to open it, "Help!" he called as he began to struggle under the man's weight. Dean and Sam noticed Castiel and immediately helped them both inside. They guided the man to the couch and gently laid him down.

"Who is this guy Cas?" Sam asked.

"I don't know; he was barely awake when I found him," Castiel answered.

Dean looked him over, "Well, _he's_ seen better days," he said when the man groaned in pain.

Castiel, suddenly feeling a strong sense of worry, went over to him and exposed his chest from the ripped clothing. The man's whole body was covered in burns and what looked like whip marks as well as small gashes made by a blade. Castiel also noticed burns on his wrists from under the cuffs around his wrists.

Castiel went to take them off but the moment he touched the cuffs, his hands burned. Castiel let out a small cry of pain as he clutched his burning hand.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered and went to touch the cuffs before Castiel could stop him. But to everyone's surprise, Dean could touch the cuffs without any trouble, as could Sam. The man's moaning snapped everyone out of their stupor.

"I'll get the First Aid kit," Sam said before bolting up the stairs and Dean went to find Bobby. Castiel stayed with the man and carefully took off the upper part of his rags so they could treat him when something made Castiel's heart stop.

Around the man's neck was a bronze necklace with the pendant of a wing facing right. With a shaky hand, Castiel held up his own pendant next to the man's; the two matched, creating a perfect set of bronze wings. Castiel heard his friends returning and he quickly slipped the man's necklace off.

"Has he woken up yet?" Sam asked as he entered the room with the First Aid. Castiel shook his head wordlessly as he slipped the man's necklace into his trench coat pocket.

Castiel wanted answeres from this man, and he wanted to know on his own.

* * *

A few hours later, the man's chest and a majority of his body was wrapped in bandages. Sam, Dean, and Bobby had gone off to check if any Demons had been following the man, leaving Castiel to watch over him. Castiel took out the man's necklace and studied it next to his own; they were uncannily similar, like they were _meant_ to be a pair.

Castiel's gaze was then drawn to the cuffs around the man's wrists. Castiel hesitantly reached out again to touch them, but was rewarded with a burn. Castiel hissed in pain and frustration; why could Sam and Dean touch them but not him? The cuffs also seemed to be keeping the man in constant pain which made sense if the cuffs were burning him too; who could be so cruel as to imprison someone in chains that constantly left you in pain?

Finally, the man was beginning to show signs of waking up. Castiel went over to him and gently touched his shoulder, "Hey, can you hear me?" he called.

The man's eyes fluttered open slowly, "Where…am I?" he asked, an accent showing through.

"You're safe; I found you on the road. Do remember what happened?" Castiel asked.

The man took in his condition and his surroundings before memories came rushing back to him causing him to sit up abruptly. He held his head and began muttering something in a foreign language, at least Castiel thought it was a foreign language; to his surprise he could make out almost every word he was saying.

He made out the words 'father', 'brothers', 'Hell', and 'Demons', but the rest he couldn't make out. The man's mutterings slowly came to a stop as his hand grasped around his chest.

His eyes widened as he realized that something was not around his neck, "Where is it? Where is it?" He asked frantically as he looked around himself for any trace of the lost object.

Castiel quickly held up the man's necklace by the chain, "You mean this?" he asked. The man spotted the necklace and swiped it out of Castiel's hand like it was his own lifeline. The man clutched the pendant in his fist and pressed it to his lips, closing his eyes in relief and piquing Castiel's interest even more, "Is it special?" he asked.

The man nodded silently, "More than you can imagine; it's all I have," he said.

Castiel frowned at the answer, "What happened to you?" he asked.

The man chuckled slightly, "You would never believe me; you humans couldn't possibly comprehend what I've been through," he said.

Castiel smirked, "Try me; I may surprise you," he said, "What's your name?"

"Balthazar," the man answered.

Castiel held back a chuckle, "That's a name you don't hear very often," he said.

"I wouldn't think so; my Father has always had a unique taste in names," Balthazar responded, casting Castiel a glance while he put his necklace around his neck again.

Castiel nodded, "I know how you feel; my name's pretty odd too," he said.

Balthazar finally looked directly at him, "And what name would that be?" he asked.

"Castiel."

* * *

**Things are about to get personal...**

**If you have any questions just review or send a PM; just putting that out there.**

**Review if you please! I want to know how I'm doing!**


	4. What you Really Are

**Alright, short chapter, but things will get better from here on out!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_"What's your name?" _

_"Balthazar," the man answered. _

_Castiel held back a chuckle, "That's a name you don't hear very often," he said. _

_"I wouldn't think so; my Father has always had a unique taste in names," Balthazar responded, casting Castiel a glance while he put his necklace around his neck again. _

_Castiel nodded, "I know how you feel; my name's pretty odd too," he said. _

_Balthazar finally looked directly at him, "And what name would that be?" he asked. _

_"Castiel."_

* * *

Balthazar's entire body froze in place. His smile slowly faded from his face as he stared at Castiel's bright blue eyes; his eyes finally fell on Castiel's necklace around his neck. With a shaky hand, Balthazar picked up the pendant and looked it over, his thumb tracing over the carved name of Castiel, "Where did you get this?" he whispered.

Castiel tried to push away the feeling of awkwardness and answered, "As long as I can remember,"

Balthazar swung his feet over the side of the couch and grasped Castiel by the shoulders, "How long?" he asked almost desperately, "How long?!"

"Ever since my mother found me, in a basket on the coast," Castiel answered uneasily, wincing slightly from Balthazar's tight grip.

Balthazar's eyes widened as he slowly released Castiel and looked him over, "It…it can't be…" he whispered, "You look the right age…could it really be you Cas?" he asked as he placed his hands on Castiel's cheeks.

Castiel frowned slightly, not fazed by his touch, "Do I…know you?" he asked; something deep inside was telling him that this man didn't mean him any harm. He also had the small but pounding feeling that Balthazar had something to do with where he came from and he couldn't let this chance slip away.

Balthazar took one of his hands off his cheek and gently touched the necklace again. He lowered his head and closed his eyes like he was concentrating; after a few moments he opened them again, shiny with tears, "Cassie…it's really you," he whispered.

Castiel felt his hopes rise as he asked, "Who are you?"

Balthazar slowly pulled Castiel into a gentle hug before answering, "I'm Balthazar; I'm your brother."

* * *

Castiel didn't know whether to feel happy, scared, or angry at what Balthazar had just said. His brother? Could it really be true?

He didn't have much time to think about it as Dean's voice broke the silence, "Are we interrupting something?" The two men broke away to see Dean, Sam, and Bobby standing in the kitchen.

Castiel stood up, "Did you find anything?" he asked.

Bobby shook his head, "Nothing in immediate sight, human _or_ Demon," he said.

Balthazar's eyes widened, "You know about Demons?" he asked.

"Who _doesn't_ know about those bastards?" Dean responded.

Balthazar looked away, "Has it really been that long?" he whispered before wincing in pain and glaring at his shackles.

"Is there any way to take those off?" Castiel asked, "I've tried but it keeps burning me."

Balthazar nodded, "It should; you're lucky you've never had to wear these for three thousand years," he said causing everyone to freeze.

"I'm sorry, what? Three _thousand_ years?" Sam asked.

Dean immediately trained his rifle on Balthazar who began to immediately scoot back on the couch in fear. "Dean what are you doing?!" Castiel exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Dean growled.

Balthazar spread his hands pleadingly, "My name is Balthazar-"

"I don't care about that, I mean _what_ are you?!" Dean demanded, training the rifle closer on him, "How do you know Cas, what does _he_ have to do with you?!"

"Please just put that away," Balthazar said softly.

Castiel, feeling a sense of urgency towards Balthazar stepped towards Dean, "Dean, calm down,"

"Do you know this guy Cas?" Dean asked.

"No, I-"

"Then what was with that hug earlier; have you met him before?!"

"No, Dean I-"

"Alright! Alright!" Balthazar yelled getting the two to quiet down. Keeping his eyes trained on Dean's rifle he slowly got to his feet, his arms still raised in defense, "It's true, I'm not human, but I'm not a Demon either," he said.

"Then spit it out, what are you?" Bobby asked, both he and Sam lingering towards weapons if need be.

Balthazar glanced at Castiel, "The real question is what both Cas and I are," he responded.

Dean's eyes narrowed, "What's he talking about Cas?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Balthazar.

"I don't know," Castiel answered looking at Balthazar now with a glimmer of mistrust in his blue eyes.

"What I told you earlier is true Cas," Balthazar said looking at him, "I _am _your older brother; I gave you that necklace so you wouldn't forget about us, your _real_ family," he said, gesturing slightly to Castiel's necklace. The three hunters glanced between the two similar necklaces to confirm that he was telling the truth.

Castiel stared at Balthazar, "What…am I?" he asked.

Balthazar relaxed some, "You are Castiel…and you, we, are both Angels of the Lord."

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaand the bomb has been dropped! Seriously, how would YOU feel if someone randomly came into your life and told you you were a completely different species? Granted, I sometimes wish something like that would happen to ME, you know, give my life a little more spice...**

**Again, sorry for the shortie and cliffie but the rest will be up soon! And it will be chock full of exposition and hinted Destiel! **

**Review!**


	5. One Chance

**Alright! Story time! Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't really have much else to say honestly...**

* * *

_Previously..._

_"What I told you earlier is true Cas," Balthazar said looking at him, "I am your older brother; I gave you that necklace so you wouldn't forget about us, your real family," he said, gesturing slightly to Castiel's necklace. _

_The three hunters glanced between the two similar necklaces to confirm that he was telling the truth. _

_Castiel stared at Balthazar, "What…am I?" he asked. _

_"You are Castiel…and you, we, are both Angels of the Lord."_

* * *

The entire room was silent as Balthazar's words lingered in the air. Castiel couldn't believe what he had just heard; him, an Angel? There was no way that could be true; did Angels even exist?

Dean seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Get the hell out of here," he growled, "There's no such thing."

"Angels? You're telling us they actually exist?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Castiel breathed heavily and looked at the ground; something deep down was telling him that Balthazar wasn't lying; but how could that be? Why did he have this growing feeling that he needed to help Balthazar?

"Please, just let me explain," Balthazar said, noticing Castiel's growing panic and confusion. Dean stared hard at him but slowly lowered the rifle and Balthazar sat down on the couch. "Twenty-five years ago, Heaven was attacked by Demons led by their King, Crowley. I was only a fledgling when it happened yet I remember like it happened yesterday."

"Fledgling?" Castiel asked.

"A child, a young Angel; you were one as well Cas. You were the youngest of us all. Within moments Heaven was becoming ravaged. The Archangel Michael, our oldest brother, told all the Angels to flee to Earth to take the fight away from Heaven." Balthazar shuddered as the memories came back to him, "The Demons were relentless; they captured every Angel one by one to be imprisoned in Hell. We've all been enslaved there ever since…all except you Cas." He said looking at him.

Castiel looked at the ground, "How did I escape?" he asked softly, slightly afraid of the answer.

Balthazar looked at the ground with a guilty look in his eye, "Michael knew that this was a battle we couldn't win; our other older brothers, Lucifer and Gabriel, wanted to send all the fledglings away to hide but it was too risky. So…Michael decided that if one of us could escape it would be the youngest. We sealed your Grace, your power, inside that necklace and sent you off in a basket to live with the humans."

Castiel put a hand on his head as he digested all the information; the other three hunters looked stunned as well. "Why don't I remember any of this? I was three when I was found; how could I not…"

Balthazar sighed sadly, "When we sealed your Grace, it did more than just seal your power; it sealed your memories of us as well," Castiel looked at him. "It was the only way to hide you from the Demons and to make you nearly human; human enough to age and function as they do in order to hide you." Balthazar finished. Castiel breathed heavily and stared at the ground in utter disbelief.

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing; Cas, his best friend, who he had known almost his whole life, was really an _Angel?_ Dean shook his head, "Well, I'm not buying what your selling man, you can't expect us to believe that you're an Angel, let alone one that just got sprung from Hell!"

Balthazar sighed, "If I could I would show you my powers, but I'm on a leash," he said, holding out his shackled wrists, "As long as these bloody things are on me, my Grace is blocked."

"Wait, I just realized something," Sam said out of nowhere, "The day the Demons started wreaking havoc was twenty five years ago; that was when you said you sent Cas away?"

Balthazar nodded and Dean caught on to what Sam was thinking, "Then how could this have happened twenty five years ago, when you said you've been wearing those rings of holy fire for three thousand years?" he asked ignoring Balthazar's shudder at the mention on holy fire.

"To you and Cas it's been only twenty five years…in Hell…a mere month is like ten years," he said. His eyes became glassy as he stared at the engraved shackles; years of vivid memories of torture, fire and pain rushed through his head, "What I've been through, what our _family _is going through now…you can't even imagine," he whispered.

Sam then realized that Castiel was being unusually quiet during all of this. He looked up to see that Castiel was nowhere to be found, "Cas?" he called, catching everyone's attention.

"Cas?" Dean called a little louder. He cursed under his breath; after shooting Balthazar a look that said he still didn't trust him, he walked out the door. He spotted Castiel leaning on the hood of the Impala, staring at the sky. Dean walked up and leaned next to him, noticing the distant look in his eyes.

Castiel sighed, "All my life…I've wondered where I came from, who I really was," he said, "Now…what Balthazar said…it's so much to take in." he said.

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You mean you actually believe what that guy told us; that you're a freaking Angel?" he asked incredulously, "We haven't even seen any proof, any hard evidence to know he's telling the truth!"

"And what proof do we have that he's lying?" Castiel asked firmly, "Everything he said; about my necklace, the cuffs only burning us, my missing childhood memories, even me being sent away in a basket exactly like how my mother found me, how am I supposed to believe that he's lying, Dean?" Dean was silent and Castiel sighed, "I don't know why, but something is telling me to trust Balthazar; ever since I found him I've had this urge to help him, and if he really is my brother then I owe him that much," He took a deep breath, "And if he has the key to figuring out who I really am, then I'm willing to take that risk."

Dean shook his head, "Just like that? You're going to go along with a complete stranger just like that?"

"Dean…"

"Look, I'm all for you finding your roots but we're your family too Cas; we don't need to trust that guy when we can figure this out on our own!"

"But what if we can't?" Castiel protested, "Balthazar knows something that we don't and I'm not going to let this chance go to waste; please Dean, just trust me on this." he said.

Dean stared into Castiel's bright blue eyes before sighing and getting off the car, "The guy gets one chance," he said, "After that, we're on our own."

* * *

**Did you notice I paid homage to Castiel's first episode from the show in here? Did ya? And did you see the Destiel hint in there? Did ya? Did ya?**

**Poor Cas. His mind must be BLOWN right now. He's really an Angel, his real family's in Hell, and his true memories are sealed in the necklace he's been wearing his whole life...that's a LOT to take in. But imagine how BALTHAZAR must fell telling him this! I think Amelia had an easier time telling Cas that he was adopted! Not to mention Dean finding out that his best friend/soul mate is an Angel? Good Chuck, this has been quite a week!**

**Speaking of which, one person asked how Cas came to join Team Free Will since he had a totally different life as a human in this story. Well, I left it out mostly to leave this story open to your imagination. They could have met as kids, they could've met during a hunt, met through their parents, by a complete coincidence, who knows? **

**However, after this story is completed I'm thinking of writing another one-shot story like 'Tales of America'. These one-shots will take place pre and post story and cover little events like Castiel hunting with Sam and Dean, his interactions with Amelia and Claire, Heaven family moments before Hell came and much more. **

****Also you know how I was doing the whole 1 Angel year = 100 human years? Well, I did the math combining that fact with Hell's timeline. (Math in the summer! Yayz!) According to Dean, 4 month is equal to 40 years which means one month is 10 years. The Angels have been in Hell for 25 human years which is 300 months. So, to the Angels, 3000 years have passed down in Hell which is 30 Angel years which explains why Balthazar first went into Hell as a fledgling and came out a full grown Angel.****

****If you get it, great. If not, just ignore it. Logic is never fully explored in lots of TV shows cause SCREW logic!****

**Review if you please!**


	6. Memories of Days Gone By

**Alright! I'm looking forward to this chapter! Cause we get some good old family bonding! Seriously show, could we please get more of that?**

* * *

_"Move it Angels! No slacking!" _

_The sound of a whip cracked the air; Balthazar clung to Gabriel as they shuffled along with the hundreds of other Angels. Balthazar could only catch glimpses of his siblings' faces as Demons went along the walking group to make sure they didn't step out of line with Angel blades at the ready. Balthazar looked on in horror as they were led down the path leading straight into Hell. The heat was unbearable the moment they set foot inside the domain. The pathway had Angel sigils carved into the ground to keep their powers locked. _

_The moment all the Angels were inside, the pathway shut behind them, cutting them off from the rest of the world…and Cas. Balthazar couldn't help but pray to their absent Father that Cas was safe. They couldn't let the Demons know or else the humans, their Father's greatest creation, would suffer for it. _

_He was snapped out of his thoughts as a Demon grabbed his wrist and yanked him away from Gabriel. Balthazar cried out in alarm as he was dragged away from the group along with the other young fledglings. He could hear Gabriel's angry yells as well as the other grown Angels as he and the young Seraphs were shoved to the ground. _

_Balthazar clung to his other siblings as a Demon hovered over them with piercing yellow eyes holding a silver whip; a special whip made from the same material as an Angel blade. _

_The yellow-eyed Demon gave the fledglings a toothy grin, "Such adorable children," he purred, "My name is Azazel; don't forget it because I'm going to be taking care of you kids." Azazel cracked the whip causing the fledglings to cringe, their eyes becoming moist. _

_Azazel then grabbed Balthazar by the arm and yanked him to his feet. He could do nothing but stare in fear at those yellow eyes that were full of pure evil; he let out a cry as Azazel slapped two cuffs marked with sigils onto both his wrists. He tightened them causing the burning to intensify before shoving him back to the ground. _

_He curled into a ball as the cuffs burned his wrists while Azazel hovered over him and his siblings with an evil grin, "We have big plans for you down here," he said softly, "And I know you're going to love it."_

* * *

Balthazar inhaled sharply, snapping himself out of his memory. He winced at the burning sensation that had lessened over the years as he tried to shake those yellow eyes away that had haunted his vision for so long. Even though Azazel was now far away, it didn't stop the nightmares.

The night had fallen and Balthazar realized that it had been forever since he seen a night sky. He made his way over to the window of the guest room that Bobby had allowed him to sleep in. He had to admit, the stars and moon had never looked so beautiful. He flinched as a knock came to his door and opened a crack revealing Castiel peeking inside.

"Hey," he greeted, "Mind if I come in?"

Balthazar shook his head, "No, by all means, please," he said gesturing causing another slight burn from the cuffs.

Castiel frowned as he entered the room, "Are you sure there isn't any way to take those off?" he asked.

Balthazar shook his head, "They were created by Demons; if there's a way to take them off then they would probably know." he answered as he sat down on the bed.

Castiel made his way over to Balthazar and sat down next to him, "So…you and me we're…brothers?" he said; he had never been good at starting conversations with others.

Balthazar snorted, "I know it's a lot to take in but I don't know how else to explain it."

Castiel nodded and the two stayed silent for a moment, "Were we…close?" Castiel asked looking at the floor, "Back when…I remembered?"

Balthazar let out a longing sigh, "More than you know," he answered, "We were the best of friends; ever since you were created we spent nearly every waking moment together," Balthazar chuckled as he began to remember fond memories for a change, "We were quite the trouble-makers, you and I; I don't think a single Angel escaped our harmless tricks, not even Gabriel."

Castiel's looked at Balthazar in slight surprise and confusion, "Gabriel; the archangel Gabriel?" he asked.

"The one and only; out of all the archangels, Gabriel is the most caring. We were his charges after all," Balthazar said, smiling fondly, "Everyone adored you; I don't know how you did it, but you managed to worm your way into everyone's Grace. Even Michael and Lucifer's apocalyptic fights came to a halt when you were around."

Castiel couldn't help but smile at the words; all these memories…they made him feel light inside. Is this what it felt like to be loved by your real family? Castiel subconsciously fingered his bronze necklace again, "You said that my…Grace, was sealed inside this when you sent me away?" he asked.

Balthazar nodded, "We couldn't risk the Demons tracking you down…and we also didn't want you growing up with no memories of these powers or how to use them while they were active," Balthazar took the pendant into his own fingers, feeling Castiel's Grace humming against the metal, waiting patiently to be set free, "To get your Grace and your memories back, all you have to do is break the pendant; even a little crack will let your Grace come out." He explained.

Castiel took the pendant and looked at it, his blue eyes deep in thought when Balthazar placed his hand on his own.

"Do it when you're ready," he said.

"Why?" Castiel asked, "I want to know; Angel or not, I want to remember who I am!"

Balthazar nodded and looked at the ground, "You have lived your whole life as a human; living and learning among them," Balthazar held up the pendant, "This power, it will change you Cassie; you'll see the world through the eyes of the deity you used to be. Everything you know, friends and family, you'll see them in an entirely different light." He explained seriously.

Balthazar let go of the pendant and placed his hand on Castiel's shoulder, "The eyes of an Angel are much different than the eyes of a human; I don't want you to lose what you've made over the years." He looked into Castiel's eyes, "Give it some thought; you'll know what to do when the time comes," he reassured him.

Meanwhile, just outside the door, Dean was leaning against the wall, taking in everything he just heard.

Also, just outside the house, a pair or beady black eyes observed Castiel and Balthazar through the window. Without a word, he headed away from the house, drawing a silver bowl from within his jacket.

About a half hour later, a man lay dead on the floor with his throat slit as the Demon chanted into the bowl of blood. The blood began to bubble and whispers filled the air, "I've found him, but there's more; we must take this to the King, he'll want to hear this." He said.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Crowley, the King of Hell said dangerously as he paced his throne room, "When I attacked Heaven and enslaved all those holy bastards, a little baby Angel got away, wings and all, and has prancing under my nose with the humans _all this time?!_"

The Demon, who had been the lucky winner to deliver the message to Crowley, nodded, trying hard to not show fear.

Crowley sighed and rubbed his temple, "The sad part about all of this is that I don't know who blame; the Angels for pulling such a cheap stunt, or you Demons who let _one little Angel get away!_" The Demon's shivering was a bit more apparent now. Crowley took a deep breath to calm himself, sat down in his throne, and continued, "How exactly, has this brat been avoiding my detection all this time?"

The Demon choked out, "That's the strange thing sir; our informant didn't feel the Angel's Grace at all; the supposed 'Angel' is human." This seemed to catch Crowley's attention as the Demon continued, "He also spotted the escaped Angel and overheard their conversation; he mentioned something about taking his Grace back."

Crowley leaned back in his throne, "At least one good thing has come out of this," he muttered before turning to Lillith who was watching the scenario with amusement, "Tell Alastair that we're going to need information about a little lost Angel that ran off twenty-five years ago; I'm sure he's eager to give those archangels another talk." He said.

"The archangels are broken sir, they won't talk; they're just slowly waiting for us to kill them," Lillith answered before smirking, "However, he's working on an Angel now that helped our escapee spring from the pit."

Crowley smiled, "Perfect."

* * *

"This little one doesn't know anything; I've probed as deep as I can for the past two days," Alastair said as he cleaned the blood from his Angel blade. In front of him sat young Samandriel, chained to the cold metal chair wearing a device holding metal rods in his scalp.

The Angel's eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily, trying to cope with the pain he thought he had grown used to over the years. Blood covered his tattered robe and almost every inch of his skin. His shackles had been pulled as tight as they could go, causing the burning metal to constantly press into his skin.

Crowley shook his head, walking slowly towards the bound Angel, "That's disappointing; I was hoping you weren't as fragile as your big brothers." He said leaning towards Samandriel who attempted a glare.

Alastair put his sword down and faced Crowley, "If I may sir; I have an idea that may shed some light on this…predicament." He said.

"Go on," Crowley said walking towards him.

Alastair smiled toothily, "The escapee; he knows more than this one, I'll rip the information out of him if you wish," he said.

"And how exactly, will you find our little runaway pet? Our informant failed to get a specific location so…" Crowley said.

Alastair's smile grew, glad that he had asked, "He's still wearing the shackles; I made those shackles myself. I can find them anywhere," he answered.

Crowley nodded, "Do what you do best love," he said, "I'll be waiting for a full report including one, possibly two, escaped Angels."

"What about this one?" Alastair asked as Crowley began to walk out the door.

Crowley glanced back at Samandriel and shrugged, "Keep him," he said, "Just don't kill him; it would be too…merciful." Crowley exited Alastair's chamber with the door slamming shut behind him.

A few moments later, Samandriel's screams echoed through the halls.

* * *

**T-T I am so sorry Samandriel...I basically just remade Crowley's torture scene...I'm horrible...*hugs Samandriel plushie***

**I never thought it would be so easy to write Crowley! The things he says in the show with that voice is just hilarious! And Azazel is back (the bastard...)! Of course he was in charge of the children; wouldn't have it any other way! And no, he isn't dead now either as in John didn't kill him. Since this is an AU maybe we could give the Winchester boys a semi-happy childhood aside from the hunting thing...?**

**Cas and Balthy are just so damn cute together I could explode! I honestly want them to bring him back so he and Cas could make up and be best friends again! **

**Up next we have Demon battles! Yay!**

**Review!**


	7. An Attack Too Close to Home

**Sorry for the hold up! Swim Team stuff can be annoying! I hope at this point everyone is free from the clutches of our horrible educational system (mine is horrible anyway...) and is officially in SUMMER! The amount of inactivity here (I imagine due to exams) was mind boggling! I was getting really bored since none of my followed stories were updating!**

**Hope you like!**

* * *

Castiel's eyes darted all around him as he held his shotgun at the ready. He, Sam, and Bobby were walking around the perimeter of Bobby's house to check for Demons. The fact that Balthazar's cuffs were made by Demons made everyone uneasy, so Dean stayed behind to watch in case any Demons came to the house while the others checked outside.

"I told you boy; there was nothing out here earlier, why would there be anything now?" Bobby said.

"You can never be too careful with Demons Bobby; and if Balthazar really broke out of Hell like he said then Demons will probably want to take him back." Castiel said.

Sam looked uneasily at Bobby; Dean had told them what he had heard Balthazar say to Castiel and they were having second thoughts about Balthazar. Not only were they still wary about the whole 'Angels exist' thing, but also they didn't fully trust Balthazar, especially since he had gotten someone like Castiel to gain his trust.

Castiel held almost no sympathy when it came to Demon related things; it wasn't like Castiel to suddenly trust a stranger that had come from the Demon pit itself.

A twig snapped causing the three hunters to whirl around just in time to see a Demon running towards them, blade in hand. Sam immediately shot him dead only to see four others take them by surprise. Bobby and Sam managed to shoot the three near them with little trouble, but Castiel wasn't so lucky.

The Demon knocked his rifle away by tackling him to the ground. Castiel grabbed his Demon blade from his pocket just in time and slammed it into the Demon's chest. The Demon flickered as Castiel rolled him off of him and hovered over him in case he tried anything. The Demon's head rolled to the side and grinned before finally dying.

Castiel followed his eyes to see that they were facing the house where a loud crash was heard. Realization slammed into Castiel, "Dean!" he yelled, grabbing his shotgun and making a beeline for the house followed closely by Sam and Bobby.

They hadn't realized how far they had wandered from the house and those Demons were waiting for them; how could they be so stupid?! They finally reached the house and Sam kicked open the door. The three hunters ran in, guns at the ready as they took in the damage. It was deadly quiet and only a few objects were tipped over like the couch and the table.

Sam went upstairs and Bobby took the basement leaving Castiel to check the main floor. Castiel slowly made his way into the wrecked kitchen; Dean really must have put up a good fight.

He eventually spotted a blade stuck in Bobby's desk that pinned a folded piece of paper to the surface. Castiel removed the blade and unfolded the paper, preparing himself for the words he had a feeling he would find.

_Warehouse 6. Aberdeen, South Dakota. Come alone._

Enclosed in the paper was Balthazar's necklace and Dean's amulet.

* * *

Balthazar's head was spinning as he slowly regained consciousness. He was standing in what looked like a spare room, his shackles chained to the wall. He only remembered a blur of what had happened earlier; Demons, attack, a blow to the head, then nothing. Balthazar was used to fragmented memories; days in Hell seemed to run together.

He gritted his teeth as the pull from the chains caused his shackles to press into his skin, intensifying their constant burning. His head snapped up as the door opened and a familiar figure walked in holding a silver blade and whip.

He came towards Balthazar with a psychotic grin, "Hello little runaway," the Demon said in an unmistakable voice, "Ready for a little chat?"

Balthazar and every Angel in Hell knew that voice and the pain that came from hearing it, "Alastair," he breathed wondering if this breath would be his last.

Alastair rolled in a cart of his multiple torture devices before picking up an Angel blade first, "Let's start with your fellow runaway, shall we?"

Balthazar screamed as the blade pierced his shoulder blade.

* * *

"Cas, you can't be serious!" Sam was saying.

"I'm the one they want Sam," Castiel said as he loaded a pistol with salt rounds, "If I'm what they're after then I'm going!"

"Slow down ya damn idgit, we need to plan this out!" Bobby said, "Rushing into this won't solve anything boy; we need to use our heads!"

Castiel gave an irritated sigh and sat on the couch and Sam took a deep breath, "What do they even want you for; what could you possibly have that they want?" he asked.

"I don't know; maybe it has to do with being an Angel…" Castiel started causing Sam to roll his eyes.

"You're not an Angel, Cas."

Castiel opened his mouth to argue but decided against it considering that he wasn't even sure of the fact himself.

Bobby walked between them, "I don't give a damn if Cas is a freaking Wendigo; all that matters is getting those boys back, _together_." He said the last word directly to Castiel, "Now I don't think those Demons are stupid enough to think that we would fall for a trap this simple; we have to think outside the box here."

Castiel and Sam nodded knowing Bobby was right, "What have you got for us Bobby?" Sam asked.

* * *

**You've done it now Demons! You mess with Dean, you get an angry Angel on your ass! Or in this case a pissed off human Castiel! Either way you're screwed!**

**Poor Balthy! He was just freed from torture and now he's thrown right back in again! For a SPN fan who loves almost all the Angels I sure am mean to them...but not as mean as the show! Life isn't fair for Angels! Can someone PLEASE just get up to Heaven and get those wild winged guys some DIRECTION! Why doesn't Cas and Gabe (He's alive dammit he HAS to be! Don't question me!) give the Angels a quick 101 lesson on Free Will, it shouldn't be that hard right?**

**Alright enough ranting! Review please!**


	8. Baiting the Trap

**Sorry for the wait guys, I've been at the beach all week! I had internet but nowhere to write so here's the next chappie!**

**It's a shorty, but the next part should be up sooner than later so enjoy the suspense!**

* * *

Dean's head was swimming as he slowly came to. As his senses slowly came back to him he found that he was in a warehouse, near the back. He was sitting in a chair; his wrists were bound behind him and thick ropes were wrapped around his chest, pinning him to the back of the chair and his legs were each tied to a chair leg. He tested the bonds finding that they held tight, as his wrists burned from only a few struggles. His nerves stood on edge when he heard a piercing scream that sounded like it was coming from deeper inside the warehouse; was that Balthazar?

"He's awake," a voice said.

Dean's eyesight was drawn in front of him where he saw two Demon men and a woman. The woman was tall, wore a white dress, and had wavy blonde hair; she gave the hunter an evil smile, "You're even more handsome alive and kicking," she said.

Dean gave her a smirk, "Sorry sweetheart, I don't do Demons." He said. His smirk faded when he heard Balthazar scream again, "What are you doing to him?" he asked calmly.

Lillith shrugged casually, "They're just having a little chat; we have a certain… method to make those feather-brains talk."

"What makes you so sure this 'method' will work?" Dean asked, making hidden quotes with his tied up hands.

"We've spent the equivalent of three thousand years breaking those Angels; we know what we're doing," One of the other Demon's sneered.

Dean tried to mask his surprise; so Balthazar was telling the truth about Angels, "Then why have me here?" he asked, "I know how you douche-wad's tick; if you didn't need me for something I would probably be dead already."

Lillith smiled striding closer to him, "Smart boy; you're only a temporary necessity," she caressed his cheek, "Once he comes to claim you, we _might _let you live."

"Who's 'he'?" Dean asked, jerking away as best as he could from Lillith and trying to ignore the warning in the back of his head.

Lillith paused, pursing her lips in mock thought, "Then again, you would make a great toy in the Pit; I would just _love_ to see that perfect body of yours covered in _blood_." Lillith finally turned away from the now glaring Dean and faced her minions, "Get to your positions and get him ready," she ordered, "Kill anyone who isn't the target." She faced Dean again as the other Demons scurried away.

Lillith held up a single silver bullet, "These Angel bullets work wonders on Angels," she said before loading it into a pistol, "I'm curious to see how it affects your little trench coat friend."

Dean's eyes widened as everything came into place; a small part of him was glad that Sam wasn't involved but not Cas, anyone but Cas! Dean struggled harder against the ropes, "I swear if you lay a finger on Cas I will personally gank you, you bmmph!" Dean's threat was cut short when a Demon tied a cloth tightly between his teeth.

Lillith smiled, "No, I don't think so," she said before taking her place behind Dean who was glaring daggers at her. He eventually turned his attention to the open space in front of him.

_'Cas, you better not die on me,'_ Dean thought, _'Don't you dare do anything stupid you son of a bitch!' _

Dean waited with Lillith for almost a half hour, all the while trying to ignore Balthazar's blood curling screams; those Demons must be putting the poor guy through hell (no pun intended). The sounds of gunshots then reverberated throughout the warehouse.

Lillith smiled and stroked Dean's hair, enjoying the look of surprise and fear in his green eyes, "It won't be long now," she leaned down next to his ear, "Let's see how much your little friend cares for you."

Dean clenched his bound fists and struggled more in response as the gunshots died down. After a few seconds of silence, a man wearing a familiar trench coat turned the corner. Dean's heart leapt at the fact that he was still alive but immediately sunk when he remembered the Demon behind him.

Castiel held his pistol at the ready standing about six yards from Dean and Lillith, "Let him go," Castiel said calmly, his eyes briefly meeting Dean's. Dean didn't seem to be hurt in any way, but Castiel didn't have to worry about that now.

Lillith laughed and placed her own pistol to Dean's head, "I don't think you're in any position to be saying that sweetheart," she said.

_'Don't be stupid Cas; she's playing you! She wants to kill __you__!' _Dean screamed in his head, hoping Cas would get the message.

Castiel noticed Dean's expression and began to slowly walk towards them, gun still at the ready, "I'm the one you want; take me and let him go," Castiel said.

Dean could feel Lillith's grin as she pushed the pistol a little harder to his skull, "Put the gun down and we'll talk," she said. Castiel, still moving towards them at a snail's pace, slowly began to lower the gun to the ground.

"Cmmph nmmph!" Dean yelled through the gag as he pulled his head out of Lillith's grasp; he would be damned if he let his best friend give up that easily! He was rewarded with a slap from Lillith.

"Hey!" Castiel yelled bringing his gun back up and making a break towards them.

Without a word, Lillith raised her gun and fired.

* * *

**O_O Well, shit!**

**Please try not to murder me until I get the next chapter up! And review if you don't mind!  
**


	9. A Leap of Faith

**Alright! Let's keep this party rolling! Now we finally end the suspense that my last evil cliffie left you on! Once again, shit is going to get real so hold onto your hats!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_Lillith pushed the pistol a little harder to Dean's skull, "Put the gun down and we'll talk," she said. _

_Castiel, still moving towards them at a snail's pace, slowly began to lower the gun to the ground. _

_"Cmmph nmmph!" Dean yelled through the gag as he pulled his head out of Lillith's grasp; he would be damned if he let his best friend give up that easily! He was rewarded with a slap from Lillith. _

_"Hey!" Castiel yelled bringing his gun back up and making a break towards them. _

_Without a word, Lillith raised her gun and fired. _

* * *

Dean's muffled scream was lost in the single gunshot as he watched Castiel jerk back and fall to the ground, unmoving.

Lillith slowly lowered her gun in satisfaction and turned to one of the Demons hiding in the back, "Take this one down to Alastair," she said gesturing to Dean who was staring in horror at his best friend, "He'll be happy to have a new toy."

Dean's whole body felt numb as the Demon dragged his chair away from Lillith and Castiel. He felt tears of anger, shock, and guilt come to his eyes. Cas was dead; his best friend, who he had come to know and love as a brother, was _dead_.

_'No…Cas c'mon, get up. Stop playing around Cas, this isn't funny! Get the hell up Cas! CAS!' _Dean screamed in his shock turned to anger as he fruitlessly began to struggle, letting out a string of muffled yells and curses.

Lillith watched the Demon drag Dean around a corner of large boxes before making her way over to Castiel, "Such a shame; Crowley was really looking forward to meeting you," she said, kneeling down over him, "You Angel's were always so rebellious; we all knew it would be your downfall." She said. She was about to get up when she thought she saw Castiel's chest rise.

Castiel's eyes flew open and he quickly plunged a Demon blade into her shoulder causing her to cry out in pain. Castiel pushed her off of him and looked to see the Demon who had dragged Dean away running towards him. He yanked his blade out of Lillith and threw it squarely into the Demon's chest, killing it where it stood.

He retrieved his blade once again while holding his pained chest; that had been a painful and terrifying experience that he never wanted to go through again. He turned the corner to find Dean still bound to the chair. Dean's eyes widened as Castiel came towards him with a relieved smile, "Hello Dean," he said simply before going behind him.

He sliced through the ropes binding his wrists before untying the cloth around his mouth. Dean took the cloth out of his mouth and lifted the ropes on his chest over his head while Castiel cut the ropes on his feet.

The moment he was free Dean yanked Castiel up and looked him over to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, "How…how did…" he said but Castiel grasped his shoulders.

"I'm alright Dean," he said but Dean wasn't going down without answers.

"I _saw_ her _shoot_ you, how are you…?" he trailed off as Castiel took his necklace out of his shirt. Right in the middle of the winged pendant was a large circle-sized dent where Lillith's bullet had hit, saving his life. Dean's expression melted into a disbelieving smile and laugh, "You son of a bitch," he breathed before pulling his friend into a quick hug, "A little warning next time alright?" he said.

Castiel rolled his eyes, "Even _I_ didn't see that coming," he said. The two peeked around the corner to see Lillith still on the floor in pain, clutching her bloody shoulder.

"You mind?" Dean asked, gesturing to Castiel's knife. Castiel shrugged and gave it to the hunter; Dean wanted this bitch to pay for nearly taking his best friend away. Castiel picked up his fallen pistol and joined Dean who was hovering over Lillith.

"Dean!"

Dean and Castiel glanced over to see Sam and Bobby with a bloody and beaten Balthazar supported between them coming over to them, "Anymore Demons?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head.

"The one torturing him flew the coop," Bobby answered, gesturing to Balthazar.

Castiel helped the two hunters lean Balthazar against the wall of boxes next to them before checking him, "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Balthazar's eyes fluttered trying to stay open, "Cas…" he slurred, but he had no more strength to say more.

Dean drew his attention back to the Demon in front of him. "Why don't you start by telling us who you are?" Dean said, not taking his eyes off Lillith.

Lillith let out a pained laugh, "You really think it will be that easy to get me to talk?" she asked.

Dean shrugged, "Well all your little lackeys are either dead or have run off; the way I see it, you're all alone." He said.

Lillith gave another laugh causing everyone to put on confused expressions, "You humans are so amusing," she said before looking up at Dean directly, "I never go anywhere without backup." With her words doors and windows burst open, letting in an onslaught of Demons. The four hunters drew their weapons but in doing so turned their attention away from Lillith. The Demon got to her feet and disappeared behind the wall of boxes, leaving the others to fight her army.

There were about twenty, maybe thirty Demons thirsty for blood and the fight began. Castiel stayed in front of Balthazar, defending him from any Demon that came their way. Castiel also kept a sharp eye on his fellow hunters to see if they needed his help, but it didn't do much good. Not even Dean and Sam could fight this many Demons at once; they were fighting on the ground after only a few moments along with Bobby.

Castiel wanted to help them, but there was no way he could fight without losing one of them in the struggle. Castiel watched as two Demons grabbed each of the hunters by the arms while a third took their weapon and everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Castiel.

He unconsciously touched his dented necklace, feeling a slight hum of warmth beneath the weakened metal. He wasn't strong enough to take out the Demons on his own, he was only human.

But…

He looked down at his pendant.

…He wasn't human.

The warmth in his necklace called out to him, yearning to be set free. He glanced at Balthazar who was on the brink of passing out and at each of his friends who were seconds away from death; he was going to take a leap of faith and pray that it worked.

He pushed past the Demons in front of him and ran to the middle of the fray. He yanked his necklace off his neck and threw it on the ground at his feet as hard as he could.

With a _clink_, the pendant snapped in half releasing a cloud of white light. Castiel stared at it and opened his mouth, sucking in the white light and absorbing it into his body. Once he had done so he fell to his knees, feeling everyone's eyes on him; he could feel power rushing through his veins and spreading throughout his entire body.

His body began to emanate light as he shakily got to his feet; an urgent feeling passed through him as he looked at his friends, "Close your eyes!" he cried. The power was getting stronger and felt like a dam about to burst, _"Close your eyes!"_ he yelled.

Finally his arms spread; he faced the sky and let out a scream as a white heavenly light burst forth from his body. Dean, Sam and Bobby shut their eyes tightly as they heard the Demon's pained screams around them, the light burning them alive.

The light faded for a split second only to give one more burst of light as two great black wings emerged from Castiel's back. They stretched wide, embracing their freedom after twenty five years of being hidden.

Castiel's eyes grew wide as a tidal wave of memories burst in his mind. Multiple faces and voices echoed as he remembered the childhood he had been missing.

* * *

_He gazed up at an older angel with light brown hair giving him a big colorful lollipop, 'Here Cassie, try this,' _

_'What is it Gaby?' _

_'It's called candy; I made it myself!'_

* * *

_He ran through a wide grassy field holding a red rose to his chest before reaching a young Angel with long red hair, 'Anna! What about this one; will it work?' he asked holding up the rose. _

_The Angel took the flower happily, 'It's perfect!' she squealed before taking out a blue flower, 'This one matches your eyes perfectly so you can have this one!'_

* * *

_ He stood in a large white room where two older Angels were yelling at each other; one was tall with black hair and the other was shorter with strawberry blonde hair. _

_He felt tears come to his eyes as the two Angels stopped fighting when they saw him, 'Mikey, don't fight with Luci,' he whimpered, 'It's not good to fight.' _

_Guilty looks came to their faces as they approached him and hugged him._

* * *

_He stood on a cloud's edge holding the hand of a younger blonde Angel, 'Balthy, I'm scared!' he whined. _

_The Angel smiled at him, 'Don't worry; I'll be right with you, I won't let you fall,' he said._

* * *

_He was lying down with a warm fabric around him looking up at the faces of the five Angels he previously saw. The young blonde Angel placed a necklace around his neck, 'This will help you remember us.' He said. _

_'I won't forget you Balthy; I won't forget any of you.' He said as the Angels looked close to tears. _

_The tall dark haired Angel placed two fingers on his forehead; the light brown haired Angel kissed him on the forehead and the strawberry blonde Angel whispered in his ear, 'Be strong; find us and deliver us from evil.' _

_His vision went black. But one more whisper echoed in his mind. _

_'Never forget who you are little brother; we'll be waiting for you…'_

* * *

Castiel let out a deep breath as the light completely faded; he lowered his arms and his head and stared at the ground. He stared at his hands in amazement as he felt his Grace coursing through him once again. Everything was so clear now; who he was, where he came from, it all made sense.

"Cas?" Dean asked. Castiel looked at his friends who were looking at him with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"That was my power," he answered simply as a feather caught his eye. He stared at the two large and beautiful appendages on his back, the ebony black feathers glistening in the sunlight. He slowly reached out a stroked them, earning confused stares from the hunters; Castiel assumed that they couldn't see them, which was fine with him.

Castiel then heard a moan behind him and turned to face Balthazar. His eyes widened as he could now see Balthazar's wings as well. They were all shades of brown leading into black along the edges. They were ruffled, limp and bloody from all those years in slavery and from the previous torture. He went over and knelt in front of Balthazar as his Grace told him what to do.

He slowly placed two fingers on Balthazar's forehead. A light covered the Angel and all his injuries disappeared in an instant.

Balthazar, now in the right state of mind stared at Castiel and his wings, "Cas…are you…?" he began to ask.

Castiel gave him a soft smile, "It's been a long time…brother." Castiel held out his hand and helped Balthazar to his feet where they embraced tightly their wings curling around them.

Balthazar couldn't believe it; after all these years he finally had his true little brother back. The two broke apart and faced Dean, Sam and Bobby who had gotten to their feet as well.

Castiel couldn't help but notice that along with shock, Dean had a hint of anger in his green eyes.

* * *

**Aaaaaaaand things have just gotten more complicated! YAAAAY! Cas finally remembers who he is! That's one weight off his chest! I had to rewatch the episode when Anna got her Grace back in order to write this properly. At least Cas didn't vanish like Anna did.**

**Man, Cas' wings must be pretty cramped up since they haven't been used in twenty five years! Oh yeah, I got Balthazar's wing design from a pic on Deviantart. I know links suck here but I'll give it a try: pikaace. deviantart art/ Angels- ****of - Supernatural - and - their - wings - V - 2 - 4**

**If it doesn't work, just search on DA for it, I'm sure you'll find it.**

**And yes, this chapter may sound awesome, but there are going to be consequences; remember, Balthy said the decision to take his Grace back was a big one, so don't expect everyone to happy with this. I see Destiel hints in the possible future of this fic...**

**Review!**


	10. Free the Angels?

**Alright, let's keep this story going! If you remember last time, Cas FINALLY got his Grace back and remembered his missing portion of childhood! However, this decision is not without consequences as you will see in this chappie.**

**Warning: MAJOR Destiel fluff! Those who are uneasy around pure friendship adorableness and feels should read this chapter with utmost caution. You have been warned!**

* * *

Dean and Sam looked out the window as Balthazar talked to Castiel outside. Now that Castiel had his Grace back he needed to learn how to use it properly, so Balthazar was giving him the little knowledge he had.

"My grace has been muted since I was a child," Balthazar had said, glancing at his shackles, "I don't know much, but enough to get you used to it."

Sam shook his head, "I still can't believe it," he said, "I mean, all this time Cas was really an Angel, it's just…amazing."

"Yeah, friggin wonderful," Dean muttered turning away from the window.

"Flying is a lot harder to control than you think," Balthazar was saying, "Start by flying to the other side of that field."

Castiel followed his brother's pointed finger to the large field that was about two miles from where they stood, "Isn't that a bit far?" Castiel asked.

Balthazar smirked, "It'll seem like a second," he said before taking a step back.

Castiel took a deep breath and focused on his location. He flapped his wings and it was like being strapped to a rocket. Castiel barely had time to comprehend what had happened before he skidded to a stop, falling over in the process. Castiel stood up and brushed himself off before looking around; to his amazement, Bobby's house was now almost a speck in the distance. His wings twitched with the sensation of flying again as he faced Bobby's house. He prepared himself and flapped his wings again. In an instant, he was back in Bobby's front yard where Balthazar was waiting. His landing was a lot cleaner, only involving a few shaky steps after landing.

Balthazar nodded, "You'll get the hang of it soon enough." He said. Balthazar was right; after a few more tries Castiel was flying like a pro.

"It's just like old times," Castiel said with a fond smile at Balthazar, "I remember; you taught me how to fly as a fledgling." He said; it felt so good to say that. He _remembered_.

Balthazar smiled back, "If only Michael could see you now…" he trailed off, his eyes becoming distant.

Castiel immediately felt guilty for bringing up the memory; he had forgotten that his whole family was currently slaves in Hell, working like dogs. Castiel's gaze was drawn to the shackles on Balthazar's wrists; Castiel frowned at the burns peeking out from the cursed metal, "What are those sigils?" he asked, gesturing to them.

Balthazar looked at his shackles, "I don't know," he answered, "Some of them I know are Angel wards, but the others are a kind of Demon language."

Castiel walked towards him, "Maybe if we could translate them, we could figure out how to get those off," he suggested.

Balthazar's wings rose slightly at the thought of being free of those damned chains and he chuckled, "You know, I've been wearing these things for over three thousand years and I've never once thought of that," he joked.

Castiel smiled, "I'm sure Bobby will find something," he said as they entered the house. A few moments later, Balthazar was sitting with Bobby at his desk examining the sigils on the shackles.

Castiel was walking upstairs when his hand found his coat pocket. His eyes widened as he pulled out Dean's amulet; he had completely forgotten to give it back to him! He had already returned Balthazar's since Bobby could use the symbols on the pendant to translate the shackles; _his_ was broken after all. He found Dean downstairs in the panic room, staring at the iron salted walls. Castiel entered the room and went to his side, "I forgot to give this back to you," he said, holding the amulet up.

Dean looked at it and took it, "Thanks," he muttered. He turned away from Castiel and took a few steps as he placed the amulet back around his neck.

Castiel noticed how tense his friend seemed to be as his arms lay at his sides with his hands curling in, "What's wrong Dean?" he sighed, "I noticed in the warehouse; you're upset with me aren't you?" he asked.

Dean tensed even more, "What, can you just automatically tell what I'm feeling now that you have your Angel mojo back?" he asked sharply.

Castiel made towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Dean…" he started but Dean shook him off.

"You just couldn't wait could you?" he growled, "You had to go all holy on us because being human was just too much for you!"

Castiel's eyes widened, "Dean, we would have been killed if I hadn't taken my Grace," he argued.

Dean faced him, "Yeah, but you also knew that becoming an Angel would change you; I heard what Balthazar said to you, all that seeing through Angel eyes crap," he snapped, "Did you even think for a second that we would want a say in whether or not you became an entirely different species?!"

Castiel stepped back with a hurt look in his eyes, "This is who I am Dean," he said firmly, "Even without my Grace I would still be an Angel."

"But you would still be Cas!" Dean shot right back, "You would still be hunting with me and Sam and sneaking up on me when I least expect it; you'd still be my best friend!" Dean turned away from the Angel, breathing heavily in anger as Castiel took in every word.

Castiel looked at the ground, "I'm sorry Dean; it was selfish of me to not think about how you felt," he said. He noticed Dean's calming breaths and continued, "But you don't need to worry about my Grace. Ever since I retrieved it, I've felt no different around you, Sam, and Bobby," he said, stepping towards Dean who took a deep breath.

"Then why did you do it?" he asked softly, "You couldn't have known that you weren't going to change."

Castiel looked at the ground guiltily, "Because…a part of me just couldn't ignore it," he confessed, "The feeling that taking my Grace back would help me find my family…I just couldn't stop thinking about it." Castiel put a hand on Dean's shoulder, "You, Sam, and Bobby are like family to me and I love you, like I love Amelia and Claire; but no matter how much time passed I still felt empty. I never knew the feeling of being with your true family; because of that, I just had to know if Balthazar was telling the truth about me and my Grace."

Dean turned to look directly at Castiel, his anger finally dying down when Bobby called loudly from the top of the stairs.

"If you idgits are done with your little breakup, get up here; I think we've got something."

Castiel gave Dean a small smile before exiting the panic room with Dean slowly following him. He was glad that Cas was still the same old Cas he knew, but that wasn't all he was angry about.

Castiel was an Angel, and Angels belonged in Heaven, not on Earth.

* * *

Dean, Sam, and Castiel all gathered around Bobby's desk where he and Balthazar were looking at a laptop. "It took a while, but the sigils on these carvings are some kind of combination of Latin and Enochian," Bobby said, looking at them.

"Enochian?" Sam asked, "Isn't that-?"

"The language of the Angels," Balthazar finished with a nod and looking at Castiel. That must have been what Balthazar was speaking when he first woke up; it explained how Castiel could understand most of the words he was saying.

"And that's not all," Bobby said, turning the laptop so the screen faced the three boys, "This language combo, it's an ancient kind of Demon mojo, the same as the symbols on that summoning circle in that church." He said.

"So the Demons were trying to use more of this old Demon hocus-pocus," Dean said.

Bobby nodded, "This magic is deadly; it was used back in ancient times by Demons to get even with the Angels, to control them, give 'em a little payback, but it was destroyed." He explained.

"I guess God wasn't too happy about Demons bullying his kids," Sam said with a shrug.

Castiel noticed that Balthazar looked slightly down by that statement before asking, "Can we take the cuffs off?"

Bobby grimaced, turned the laptop back to him and pulled something up before turning back, "Unless you know how to read this gibberish, no." he answered.

"What about Balthazar, he's an Angel, can't he read it?" Sam asked.

"Of course he can, but the chant will only work if someone who isn't imprisoned by the magic says it," Bobby said.

"Plus, my reading skills are a bit rusty; I haven't seen these sigils for three thousand years." Balthazar added.

Castiel silently looked at the screen as his mind began to tick. His eyes took in the symbols and his mind began to translate them. Before he knew it, he was slowly speaking the words, "_Zonrensg oi merifri moni a ialpvrg o donnasdogmas bvfd oiad."_

Balthazar let out a gasp as his shackles began to glow; suddenly with a sharp snap, the shackles split open and fell to the floor. Balthazar took a deep breath as his Grace surged through his body at full strength once again. Dean, Sam, and Bobby all shielded their eyes as his entire body lit up quite brightly, but not as brightly as Castiel when he got his Grace back.

The light faded after about three seconds and Castiel stared at his renewed brother; his brown wings seemed richer in color and at full strength, stretching wide with pride and happiness. Balthazar stared at himself in amazement as he felt cool air on his wrists for the first time in years. His wrists held heavy burns from the shackles that would probably take a long time to properly heal, but that hardly mattered; for the first time in forever he finally felt free!

Castiel couldn't help but smile as he felt Balthazar's Grace reach out and touch his for the first time. Castiel walked over and grasped Balthazar's shoulder, feeling the strong connection that they had as fledglings, ignoring the strange looks that the three hunters were giving them. The tips of Castiel's black wings brushed against the soft brown feathers of Balthazar's that felt like new.

At that moment, Castiel remembered the words his brother Lucifer had whispered to him before they sent him away:

_Find us and deliver us from evil. _

Castiel felt his Grace quiver slightly. After feeling the connection with Balthazar he couldn't help but hunger for the connections of his other hundreds of brothers and sisters. He wanted to feel Gabriel, Michael, and Anael again; he wanted to embrace them and their Grace in full force.

Dean noticed Castiel's expression, "Something on your mind Cas?" he asked.

Castiel took a few steps away from them, "Yes, there is," he answered before facing them in determination.

"I want to free them," he said, "I want to free the Angels from Hell and deliver them from evil."

* * *

**Enochian translation: Deliver this Angel from the flames of Hell in the glory of God**

**I just googled the translations of enochain words and put them all together...I have no idea what it actually says X( But who cares!? BALTHY IS FINALLY FREE! YEEAAAAHHHH!**

**And now we know why Dean looked so pissed when Cas got his Grace back...I'm sure you have a good idea what may be coming at the end of this.**

**Anyway, review please! Next up, Cas' insane plan to 'Deliver the Angels from evil'!**


	11. Highway to Hell

**Sorry guys, I keep forgetting about this story! Doesn't help that I've gotten back into Hetalia since Season 5 came out dubbed. If you haven't seen it yet, go do it now! It's epic! Anyway, ****this chappies a shorty but a goodie! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_"Something on your mind Cas?" Dean asked. _

_Castiel took a few steps away from them, "Yes, there is," he answered before facing them in determination, "I want to free them," he said. _

_"I want to free the Angels from Hell and deliver them from evil."_

* * *

Sam and Bobby swore their jaws hit the floor while Dean's eyes were on the verge on hanging out of their sockets, "You wanna do WHAT?!" he demanded, "You want to go downstairs, alone, and cause a Heavenly jailbreak?!"

Castiel looked away in thought, "I don't know if that's a reference or not, but yes." He said.

Balthazar stood up, "Cas, I'm gonna have to go with them on this; I want to save our family as much as you but we can't just fly in there, guns blazing, and expect Crowley to just let us walk out with hundreds of Angels in tow." He pointed out. Castiel's confidence didn't waver so Balthazar continued, "Crowley and his minions were able to completely overrun Heaven; what makes you think that two Angels and three humans can take them on?"

Castiel suddenly looked thoughtful, "Balthazar, how exactly did the Demons invade Heaven and enslave the Angels?" he asked.

Dean and Sam seemed to perk up at the question, "Yeah; how _did_ Hell win Heaven over on the chessboard?" Dean asked curiously.

Balthazar shook his head, "For one thing they surprised us," he said, combing through his memories, "Dad wasn't around and the Demons somehow managed to open their own doorway to Heaven."

Bobby pulled up another window on the laptop, "I'm guessing it was this," he said pointing to the screen, "That ancient Demon magic just so happens to have a Gate spell; with enough juice the portal can be opened anywhere, even all the way upstairs."

"Can we duplicate it?" Castiel asked.

"Cas you can't be serious-" Sam started.

"Can we or not?" Castiel asked again firmly.

Bobby was silent as he turned the laptop back towards him, "It's not impossible, but it sure as hell ain't easy," Bobby said, "Myrrh, Demon bones, Demon blood, four types of incense; you can't exactly find these things in a department store."

There was a flap of wings and Castiel was nowhere to be seen. Dean and Sam looked around frantically, "Cas? Cas?!" they called.

A few seconds later Castiel reappeared with another flap of wings holding an ancient jar, "I found the myrrh," he said.

"Where'd you get that?" Dean asked.

"Israel." Castiel answered simply.

Balthazar chuckled as Dean, Sam and Bobby gave incredulous looks and decided to play along. With a flap of his wings, Balthazar disappeared as well and was back a few moments later with a burlap sack, "Found some Demon bones; had to fly all the way to England." He said as his wings stretched and quivered with adrenaline.

It had been so long since he had been able to fly; the wind in his feathers almost brought tears to his eyes mid-flight.

Castiel smiled at him and at the dumbfounded expressions on the hunters' faces; this wasn't going to take long at all.

* * *

A mere two hours later, the ritual was all set to go. It had taken a while for Castiel and Balthazar to find the four correct types of incense, but all the ingredients were eventually found. The group of five stood out in an open field where the ingredients were set in place; the pile of Demon bones sat in the middle covered with myrrh and Demon blood while four piles of incense surrounded the pile connected by a circle drawn into the ground.

Castiel held a box of matches ready in his hand and Bobby shook his head, "This is insane," he muttered, "We're just gonna waltz into the home of Demon-kind."

Dean nodded, "Well, we've done other things that are just as crazy," he said.

Sam looked at Castiel, "Are you sure about this Cas; it's literally gonna be hell down there," he said.

Castiel nodded, "I know, but I have to do this for my family; I still wish you would let me do this alone." He said.

"No way Cas," Dean said right away as Bobby picked up their bag containing all the Demon killing supplies they could carry, "Angel or not, there's no way we're letting you go downstairs alone."

Balthazar nodded, "Our brothers and sisters are down there; I know what they're going through right now and I'm not letting suffer like this anymore," He said and he placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder, "And I'll be damned if I let my little brother go down there by himself."

Castiel smiled at his friends and nodded. He walked into the middle of the ritual and took out a match. He took a deep breath, "Ready?" he asked.

Everyone nodded, "Let's open the highway to Hell," Dean said.

Castiel struck the match and began muttering the incantation. Once he was done he through the match onto the pile of bones which were immediately set ablaze. Castiel stepped back out of the circle as the burning bones bubbled and melted into a puddle of black and red. The puddle began to expand on its own, stopping at the borders of the circle. The puddle began to swirl rapidly and the ground dipped down like a whirlpool.

A sharp wind whipped up as the ground under the puddle fell away revealing a swirling black hole leading to a dark pit below. Castiel and Balthazar gripped the three humans tightly, and with one deep breath, the two Angels spread their wings and flew into the pit.

A mere second after they disappeared, the pit closed up behind them leaving behind scattered incense and a burned patch of grass and it was peaceful in the field once more.

* * *

**One of my fav perks of being an Angel! Flying halfway around the world to get stuff and acting like it took no effort whatsoever! Fun right?!**

**Oh and making up Demon rituals? It definitely feels weird. I feel like I'm supposed to follow some kind of canonical rules that the show doesn't have, ya know? **

**I hope you have your fluff meters ready because next up is the long awaited family reunion with Cas and his long lost family! Admit, you've all been looking forward to this from chapter 1~! I'll be sure to get that chapter up faster!**

**Review please!**


	12. A Family United

**Ugh! FINALLY! I had this ready to go DAYS ago, but I had a power outage. We got the electricity back in a few hours but our internet was down for FOUR DAYS! I'm sure you know how hard THAT can be nowadays...I felt like I was in 'Summer Wars'...**

**But now, *drumroll* it's time for the chapter we've all been waiting for! *plays 'Get Ready for This'* LET'S GET READY FOR FEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLSSS!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_The pile of Demon bones sat in the middle covered with myrrh and Demon blood while four piles of incense surrounded the pile connected by a circle drawn into the ground. _

_Bobby shook his head, "This is insane," he muttered, "We're just gonna waltz into the home of Demon-kind." _

_Dean nodded, "Well, we've done other things that are just as crazy," he said._

_Castiel walked into the middle of the ritual and took out a match. He took a deep breath, "Ready?" he asked. _

_Everyone nodded, "Let's open the highway to Hell." Dean said._

* * *

Castiel gripped Dean and Sam tightly as their feet finally touched the ground. Balthazar and Castiel folded their wings as much as they could to avoid drawing attention, but it seemed where they had landed was deserted. They had landed on a huge stone pathway that led to three tunnels that emanated a red and black aura.

As expected for the Pit, it was quite warm, but that didn't distract them from the multiple screams that echoed from one of the hallways. "Souls being tortured," Balthazar muttered. He winced as the painful memories began to flash back to him and his fear began to grow; after risking life and limb getting out of this place he never thought he would be brought back from his own will.

Castiel quickly squeezed his brother's wrist as Dean, Sam, and Bobby got their weapons ready. Castiel took out his own pistol causing Balthazar to chuckle.

"You won't be needing that," he said.

Castiel gave him a confused look but kept the pistol out just in case. The group snuck towards the tunnels and headed down the middle one away from the screams. The heat grew exponentially as they went but everyone knew it was going to be hot so no one complained; they were in Hell for god's sake. They followed the tunnel until they came to a split causing Balthazar to stop.

"What is it?" Castiel asked.

Balthazar's eyes seemed to light up with hope, "I remember; the weapons are down that tunnel!" he exclaimed, pointing to the left tunnel.

Everyone seemed to really perk up at this news, "So you're saying that Heaven's arsenal is right down that way?" Dean asked.

"If we can cut them off it'll be a piece of cake getting out of here." Sam said.

Balthazar nodded, "Castiel and I will go ahead to the Angels and you take care of the weapons," he said.

Sam nodded and turned to Bobby who pulled out two cans of spray paint, "We'll meet up with you later." Dean said. Castiel and Balthazar started to go off when Dean grabbed Castiel's shoulder, "Be careful," he said simply.

Castiel nodded and he and Balthazar continued down the tunnel.

* * *

It wasn't long before Dean, Sam, and Bobby reached the end of the tunnel. They pressed themselves against the wall and peeked out to see a large vault made of black steel with three Demons standing guard.

Dean couldn't help but roll his eyes, "They have Heaven's nukes right in that vault and only three dudes are guarding it?"

"If you had all of Heaven's population enslaved for the past twenty five years without any trouble, you'd be cocky too." Bobby pointed out.

The three cocked their rifles causing the three Demons to snap their attention towards them as they stepped into their sight, "Ding dong bitches," Dean said with a smirk as the three hunters each fired a round into the Demons' heads.

As the Demons fell to the ground, Bobby tossed the two spray cans to Sam and Dean who quickly began creating Demon sigils. They sprayed one large one right at the spot where the tunnel ended, and one on the vault door itself. Bobby watched in case any Demons showed up while Sam and Dean sprayed as many sigils as they could in the area.

"Done?" Dean asked.

"Yeah; let's find Cas." Sam said. The brothers snatched up their rifles and made their way back down the tunnel.

* * *

Castiel and Balthazar slowly made their way down the tunnel. As they drew near to the end, the sounds of whips could be heard. Balthazar visibly tensed at the agonizing sound; he had heard and endured the sound and feeling of that awful weapon almost his whole life.

Castiel noticed his brother's expression and the two picked up the pace; the sooner they could free the Angels from their bindings, the better. At long last they reached the end and the area opened up in front of them.

They were on a stone ramp in what looked like a large construction site made entirely of burning stone, teeming with weak wooden ramps and ladders. Hundreds of stone structures on both the floor and wall littered the area that looked like it went on forever.

Castiel's eyes hardened as he took in the hundreds, maybe thousands of figures wearing the same tattered robes as Balthazar. They moved enormous boulders, broke stone with their bare hands, and heaved heavy bags of stone and sand on their backs. He felt their muted and suffering Grace desperately reaching out to him and Balthazar and the memories of his family members came back to him once more. He recognized almost every Angel in the area; he remembered multiple faces and Grace despite the short memories he had of them.

He was snapped out of his stupor when the sound of a whip cracked through the air followed by a small cry of pain. Castiel walked to the edge of the ramp they stood on and looked down to see a Demon holding a silver whip. In front of him was an Angel huddled on the ground in a fetal position as the Demon relentlessly whipped her. The Angels around her simply glanced at her in pity before going back to their tedious and never ending work.

Castiel squinted and made out a head of long red hair; a shade of red he knew anywhere, "Anna…?" he whispered.

The Demon raised the whip again and Castiel's wings spread in defiance. In a split second he was behind the Demon and placing a hand on his head on pure instinct. The Demon screamed as light erupted from his eyes and mouth before falling to the ground with only gaping and smoking sockets for eyes. Castiel glared at the dead Demon as the Angels around him stared in awe.

Castiel turned his attention to the red haired Angel who was still curled up and shivering greatly. Castiel knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders while his wings gently stroked hers, "Anna?" he asked. The Angel slowly looked up into his blue eyes as his Grace caressed her own, "Anna, it's me," he said.

Anna's eyes widened in disbelief as he gripped his arm as if to make sure he was real, "Castiel…?" she whispered. Castiel gave a firm nod when he heard Balthazar fly down behind him.

He turned his head to see Balthazar grinning and holding his pistol that he dropped when he flew down, "Told you that you weren't going to need this." He said before his gaze fell on Anna. "Anna!" he exclaimed as he hugged her tightly.

Anna hugged him back, "Balthazar, you're alive!" she exclaimed happily.

Castiel smiled before his gaze fell on her cuffs. He took one of Anna's hands as she broke the hug with Balthazar and quietly muttered the incantation. Anna gasped just as Balthazar did as the shackles glowed before snapping off. Anna closed her eyes as her Grace once again surged through her body, healing every injury she had received during her time here. Her wings spread fully, now brimming with new energy like they had just woken from a deep sleep.

Her wings were beautiful; they were pure white with tiny specks of red and orange along the top reminding Castiel of a butterfly. Anna stared at her free wrists in disbelief before looking at Castiel with glassy eyes. She threw her arms around him with a muffled sob as her wings wrapped tightly around Castiel's, "Lucifer was right; you found us." she whispered as tears began to fall.

Castiel hugged his sister tightly, "I'm sorry I took so long," he said, willing his own tears back. So, this is what it felt like; this is what it felt like to love your family. He broke the hug and looked at all the other bewildered Angels who were beginning to comprehend what was going on.

"Cas? Is that really you?"

Castiel turned towards the new voice to see three other Angels, two girls and a boy. His Grace reached out and recognized them immediately, "Inias… Rachel… and Naomi!" he exclaimed.

The three Angels snapped out of their shocked trance and ran forward to embrace their long lost brother. Inias gripped him tightly, "You're real…you're really here!" he said slowly as tears came to his eyes as well.

Naomi placed a hand on his cheek, "You've grown so much," she said softly and Castiel realized that this was the first time she had ever spoken so kindly. He remembered Naomi to be the serious one with no time for playing; quite scary when he was a fledgling.

"All this time…some of us thought you were dead." Rachel said.

Castiel smiled sadly, "Well, I'm here now; and we're getting out of here." he said.

"How?" Inias asked.

Castiel simply smiled and took Inias' hands; he muttered the spell and the shackles came off a few moments later. Inias took a shuddering breath as his Grace was released and his silver wings with white on the tips perked up looking as healthy as ever. Inias bit his lip to keep a sob back as he embraced his freedom with Naomi and Rachel staring in disbelief when a voice rang out.

"Hey! What's going on here?!"

The group of Angels whirled around to see two Demons coming towards them armed with Angel blades. Castiel nodded to Balthazar and the two spread their wings and flew behind the Demons; a few seconds and a blast of light later, they were dead on the ground. Balthazar picked up the two Angel blades they dropped and gave them to Anna and Inias.

Castiel faced his brothers and sisters, "The spell I used only works with contact; tell it to every Angel you free so this can move along," Castiel said, "It probably won't be long before the Demons hear about this."

"That's an understatement."

The Angels cringed in fear and Castiel turned to see a yellow-eyed Demon staring at him and smiling toothily. Balthazar took a step back out of habit, "Azazel…" he said softly.

The Demon's yellow eyes glistened, "Now Balthazar, you didn't really think I was going to let your little brother here take off with all my little toys," he purred causing Anna and many other Angels to shudder, "After so many years of 'raising' them, I guess you could say I've grown attached to their screaming."

Balthazar couldn't stop himself from shaking as he and Anna clung to each other in fear as the years of torment came rushing back to them.

Castiel stepped towards him threateningly, "You will not lay a hand on my brothers and sisters any longer, not while I'm standing here." He growled.

Azazel simply looked amused, "Quite the feisty little birdie, aren't you?"

"You should have seen him at the warehouse."

Lillith walked over to Azazel's side, "He just wouldn't give up until his brother and precious human friend was safe; it was actually quite touching." Castiel's gaze grew steely and Lillith began towards him, "However, I'd like a little payback for that little stab in the shoulder you gave me, you mind, Azazel?"

Azazel shrugged, "I have plenty of toys, be my guest." He said.

Lillith grinned as Castiel stood his ground firmly. He felt his Grace power up greatly; he wasn't sure if he was going to win this fight against two of Hell's most powerful Demons, but he had to try!

"Hey, Cas!"

Castiel looked up to see Dean, Sam, and Bobby looking down to him from the ramp they entered from. There was a flash of silver as Sam threw the Demon knife towards him. Just as Lillith's grin faded, Castiel grabbed the knife and thrust it into the Demon's abdomen.

Lillith let out a cry of pain as her insides flickered dangerously. With one hard and final twist, Lillith let out her final breath before falling to the ground dead.

Azazel, now wearing a face of anger, strode towards Castiel who was still holding the bloody knife but let out a shout of anger as two gunshots rang through the air. Dean and Bobby had their rifles fully trained on the Demon and could hear the salt rounds sizzling in Azazel's skin. Castiel went in for the kill, stabbing the Demon as hard as he could.

As Azazel began to flicker Castiel felt his Grace surge with power. This was the Demon that had broken his brothers and sisters as mere fledglings; children that he had no right to tarnish. He allowed his angered Grace to flow through the knife causing light to pour from Azazel's body until he fell next to Lillith with burned out eyes.

All the Angels stared in shock at the two Demons that Castiel had just defeated. Castiel, their long lost brother who many had thought to be dead and had lived among humans, had just killed two very powerful Demons.

Dean, Sam, and Bobby made their way down to Castiel who gave the knife back to Dean, "Thanks for the help." He said.

Dean held up his hands, "No chick-flick moments, but you would have done the same for us."

Castiel smiled when Sam spoke up, "So how about the chant; does it work?" he asked.

Castiel nodded, "Yes but as I said before, it only works with contact; I'll need your help freeing the other Angels." He said.

Castiel then went over to Rachel and said the spell out loud so everyone could hear it while freeing his sister in the process. She sighed contentedly as she spread her lovely brown and auburn wings. Inias turned to Naomi and gave the spell a try and a few moments later, Naomi's black and red tipped wings were fully spread. The three hunters nodded and split off in separate directions.

Throughout the entire area, flashes of light could be seen as the newly freed Angels flew around and freed their brethren. Castiel felt his Grace leap for joy at so many familiar auras surrounding his, but as Dean would say, this wasn't the time for a family reunion. He knew what he had to do next; he flew until he found Anna and Balthazar and asked the big question.

"Where are the archangels?"

* * *

**SO MUCH FLUFFEEEEEEEEHHHHHSSSSSS!**

**I bet you can't wait for the archangel section! And yes, Samandriel will be there too, don't worry about him!**

**Azazel and Lillith went down pretty quickly, but let's be honest, in the show we wanted them dead the second we saw those bastards and we cheered and drank in triumph when they finally met their maker (even though Lillith's death kinda started the apocalypse...oops?).**

**Hell is surprisingly unguarded in this and the show, like when Sam went down there to get Bobby. He walked in an out just like that! And yeah, if you had an army of heavenly slaves tending your every whim, you'd feel pretty cocky too.**

**Review and feel free to share your fluffy feels!**


	13. Archangel Torture

**Alright! Sorry for the wait people, but I've successfully made it to college! I will try my absolute hardest to keep updating as fast as I can. The work load is easy so far, but I just keep telling myself, it's aaaaaaall gonna go downhill from here...**

**But who cares! Let's get this show on the road as we are slowly but surely drawing to this story's conclusion!**

* * *

_Previously..._

_Throughout the entire area flashes of light __could be seen as the newly freed Angels flew around and freed their brethren._

_Castiel felt his Grace leap for joy at so many familiar auras surrounding his, __but as Dean would say, this wasn't the time for a family reunion. He knew what __he had to do next; he flew until he found Anna and Balthazar and asked the big __question:_

_"Where are the archangels?"_

* * *

Castiel, Sam, and Dean all ran through the tunnel that supposedly led to the holding cells of the archangels. The Angels were desperate to have their leaders and older brothers back. He also remembered something else Balthazar had told him:

"While you're there, look for the torture chamber; Samandriel helped me escape and was most likely punished for it…please just see if he's alive."

Castiel could feel his heart beating frantically in his chest for fear of Samandriel's life. Samandriel was just barely older than him; he had a good and sweet heart and would never hurt anybody. The thought of his brother dead in a torture chamber…Castiel couldn't bear to think about it.

As they ran down a tunnel a scream tore through the air. The hunters and Angel skidded to a stop as the sound of a blade cutting through flesh was heard very closely to them. They took a few more steps until they came to a large metal door in the wall on their left. The metal was dark and rusty, nearly blending in with the tunnel; if that scream hadn't happened when it did they probably would have run right past the door.

Castiel reached with his Grace towards the source of the scream and felt the familiar presence behind the door, "Samandriel," he whispered.

"There an Angel in there Cas?" Sam asked and Castiel nodded.

Dean took a deep breath and lifted his rifle, "Okay, Sam and I will bust in first; you get the Angel out of there." He said.

Castiel nodded and raised his hands to the door; he nodded to Sam and Dean who nodded back and Castiel easily shoved the door open. Dean and Sam immediately raised their shotguns and fired at the single Demon that was hovering over a small Angel strapped to a chair.

The Demon seemed a bit annoyed by the interruption, not fazed by the two bullet wounds in his chest, "Pardon me little one; uncle Alastair has some guests," he purred to the bound Angel.

Castiel hid himself from sight as Dean and Sam lured Alastair away from the Angel and Castiel immediately went to him. He uncloaked himself and felt his heart leap to his throat at Samandriel's condition.

The Angel was covered in blood from head to toe; he was cut and bruised everywhere with tear tracks cutting through the dried blood on his face. He wore a metal contraption on his head that held in long metal rods protruding from his skull; his eyes were wide and blank, devoid of life and staring at absolutely nothing. Castiel snapped himself out of his stupor and went to work freeing his brother while glancing at Sam and Dean every now and then to make sure they didn't need him.

He unstrapped Samandriel from the chair and began taking the rods out of his head. His stomach twisted in disgust as he pulled the bloody rods out and dropped them on the ground; how could Alastair do such a horrible thing? In no time, all six rods were out and he took the contraption off his head. By then Samandriel was breathing normally and seemed to be snapping out of his dazed state.

Castiel put a hand on his cheek causing Samandriel to look at him with wide eyes but he said nothing; his Grace was weak and nearly broken and so was he. Castiel put his other hand on Samandriel's wrist and muttered the spell faster than he ever said it before. The shackles broke and Samandriel lit up brighter than any other Angel imprisoned.

When the light faded Samandriel took a huge breath and blinked rapidly, his black and dark brown wings spread, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. Most of his wounds were gone as the small Angel began breathing heavily causing Castiel to put his hands on his shoulders.

"It's alright Samandriel, it's me, you're safe now." He said calmly as his Grace soothed Samandriel's with gentle strokes.

Samandriel looked at Castiel with his ever widening eyes, "C-Castiel? I-is that r-really you?" he stuttered softly. Castiel nodded and slowly pulled Samandriel into a gentle hug. Samandriel slowly returned the hug, still shell-shocked at what had just happened. His injuries were healed, his shackles were off, and his long lost brother was right in front of him; he hoped to Father that this wasn't a dream.

"Hey Cas; little help here?!"

Dean's shout caused both Angel's to look at the ongoing struggle between the Winchesters and Alastair. Castiel looked at Samandriel who nodded in determination; he wanted payback for what that monster did to him and his family. Both Angels got up and walked towards Alastair who had Sam and Dean pressed against the wall by an invisible force.

Castiel flew directly in front of Alastair who grinned toothily, "Sorry; it's going to take more than one Angel to kill me," he said.

Castiel nodded, "I know; but I'm not one Angel." Alastair's grin faded as Castiel placed a hand on his head along with Samandriel who placed his own hand on the back of the Demon's head. Alastair screamed as light poured from his body for about five seconds before falling over dead. Sam and Dean let out gasps of relief as they were released from Alastair's invisible hold.

Castiel put a hand on Samandriel's shoulder who was glaring at Alastair's corpse. Castiel's wings brushed against his in comfort and the two smiled at one another. They group had just exited the chamber when Castiel felt a familiar Grace coming towards them.

The group looked up to see Balthazar running towards them. Balthazar's eyes landed on Samandriel and they became wide with tears. A second later, Samandriel was crushed in Balthazar's arms, "You bloody idiot…you had me worried sick." he whispered, remembering the little Angel's sacrifice. Samandriel may have been small, but his courage was beyond that of any other Angel.

"How are the other Angels?" Castiel asked.

Balthazar broke the hug with Samandriel, "They're almost all free; they're keeping the Demons at bay by now," Balthazar's eyes became hard as they glanced down the tunnel, "Go brother; get the archangels out of there."

Castiel nodded firmly, "I plan to." He said.

Balthazar and Samandriel wished them luck before flying back to the other Angels and the three continued down the path towards the archangels. It wasn't long before they came to a large clearing at the end of the tunnel leading to three large metal doors. Castiel felt the four familiar Graces behind all of them; they were definitely in there.

"We'll keep watch; you get them." Dean said.

Castiel nodded, and with a deep breath, walked towards the first door on the far left. He opened it slowly, afraid of what he was going to find, and what he saw _did_ scare him.

A familiar archangel with short light brown hair and golden wings he knew in a heartbeat; it was Gabriel.

The archangel was unconscious and lying in a ring of holy fire. Castiel heard a dripping sound and noticed that something above Gabriel was dripping slowly onto him. Castiel's heart nearly stopped; it was holy oil.

His Grace pulsed in anger at this form of torture; being trapped by holy fire while having holy oil constantly soak you to the skin and one wrong move would result in being burned alive. No Angel, especially Gabriel, deserved this kind of punishment. Castiel finally snapped out of his daze and walked briskly towards Gabriel; he raised his hand and lowered it causing the flames of holy fire to vanish.

Once the flames were safely out Castiel broke into a run and cradled his brother who was slippery with holy oil. He shook him gently, "Gabriel; Gabe it's me," Castiel whispered, "It's Cas."

Gabriel only stirred slightly; he was all but broken, thinking that everything around him was a dream.

Castiel gripped his wrist tightly and muttered the spell. The shackles broke and Gabriel let out a loud gasp as his Grace returned, drying him of the oily substance. His eyes flew open and glanced around him until they fell on Castiel.

Castiel gave him a sad smile, "Gaby," he whispered. He felt Gabriel's Grace tentatively touch his own and their wings slowly grow closer.

Gabriel sat up, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. He gripped Castiel's shoulders before his hands moved up to cup his face as tears came to his eyes, "Cas?" he whispered. Castiel nodded, his eyes glassed over as well and Gabriel nearly tackled him in a hug.

Gabriel clenched the back of Castiel's trench coat into his fists, afraid his little brother would disappear if he let go, "My little Cassie…you're really here," he whispered.

Castiel hugged him back just as fiercely, "I missed you." he whispered. The two pulled away and stood up, still grasping one another.

"Look at you," Gabriel said in disbelief, "You're so tall; what happened to the tiniest fledgling in Heaven?" he teased.

Castiel snorted in amusement, remembering how small he was compared to the other fledglings. His reminiscence was cut short when he felt the weak auras of the other three archangels, "We have to free the others," he said.

Gabriel nodded firmly and they exited the door and quickly headed to the next one. They opened the door to find that it contained Raphael. He was unconscious and surrounded by a ring of holy fire much like Gabriel was only no holy oil was dripping on him. His wide black and green edged wings lay dangerously close to the holy fire causing Castiel to immediately lower the flames.

The two Angels ran over to the unconscious one; Gabriel picked up the upper half of his body while Castiel took one of his wrists and chanted the spell. Raphael's eyes flew open soundlessly as his Grace was restored and looked in shock and slight confusion at the two Angels above him, "Gabriel?" he asked.

"Hey bro," Gabriel said with a smile.

Raphael's gaze fell on Castiel, whose Grace was reaching out to his own. Raphael stared hard at the unfamiliar Angel, "Castiel?" he asked. "You're alive?"

Castiel gave an uneasy smile, "Hello Raphael," he said. He remembered that Raphael didn't spend time with the fledglings; he was always the serious one.

Raphael's eyes went to his wrists and the broken shackles on the ground, "How is this happening?" he asked mostly himself.

Gabriel resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Who cares; the Angels are busting out, that's all that matters." He said.

"The other Angels should all be free by now; go and get them together, while I get Michael and Lucifer." Castiel said.

Raphael wordlessly nodded and flew off; even if he was taking orders from a Seraph, he just wanted to get out of this place.

Castiel turned to Gabriel, "Go and tell Sam and Dean to go back to the other Angels; I'll catch up shortly," he said.

"Sam and Dean?" Gabriel asked.

"My friends," Castiel clarified, "Balthazar should be waiting for you."

Gabriel's eyes widened, "Balthazar's alive?"

Castiel smiled and gave a small nod, "He found me and told me about all this," he said, "He's been worried about you."

Gabriel gave him a fond smile and spread his golden wings, "Make it quick; I don't think Mike and Luci want to miss _this_ party." He said before flying off.

Castiel ran out of Raphael's cell and over to the final door. There were two Grace's behind the door that were so muted that Castiel could barely feel them. Castiel opened the door to find the room empty minus the holy fire the engulfed the far half of the room…until he looked slightly up.

Two pools of blood were under the bloodied and beaten figures of Michael and Lucifer. The eldest archangels were crucified, high on the wall, rusty nails holding their bare hands and feet to the wall; Castiel could even see small Enochian symbols on the nails' heads. His brothers' heads hung low; they nearly looked dead. Castiel's Grace surged in anger and a white wave erupted from him, dousing the holy fire completely.

Quick as a flash, Castiel flew up to Lucifer and pulled the nails out of his hands and feet as quickly and painlessly as he could. He chucked the nails out the open door just in time to catch his barely breathing brother and place him safely on the ground before moving to Michael and repeating the same process.

He placed Michael next to Lucifer and grabbed both their wrists. He muttered the spell and was nearly blinded by the light that came next. Michael and Lucifer's powerful Graces fully embraced their freedom and healed the Angel's wounds faster than any Angel. Once the light faded, the two Angel's slowly opened their eyes, waking up from a long sleep. They slowly sat up and Castiel took a few steps back.

The two Angels glanced around as memories came rushing back to them. "Michael?"

"Lucifer!"

The two brothers gave each other a quick hug before looking the other over. They were shocked to find their shackles off and their injuries healed; it was as if the torture was just a long nightmare.

"We're free…how is this…?" Michael trailed off as he felt a third Grace in the room. The two archangels turned to Castiel.

"Hello Michael, Lucifer," Castiel said awkwardly.

The two Angels both frowned in confusion but only Lucifer stepped towards the strange Angel. Morning Star's white and red tinged wings slowly reached towards Castiel's black ones that looked oh so familiar.

Lucifer finally allowed his Grace to touch Castiel's and recognition flashed in his eyes, "Castiel?" he asked, causing Michael to freeze. Castiel gave a small smile and nodded causing Lucifer to smile widely, "Cas…oh my Father, Cas!" he exclaimed as he enveloped the Angel in a hug, "I knew it; I knew you would find us!"

After all his time here, Lucifer never thought he would see the little fledgling again; yet here he was, fully grown right before his eyes. The two Angels broke apart and faced Michael, whose pure white and gold tipped wings were tense with emotion.

Michael had no idea what to feel; should he be thrilled that his brother was here, or guilty that he sent him away in the first place? Michael had been the one to send him off to live alone; he had taken all his memories of his family away.

Castiel walked towards him and the two silently stared at each other. To his surprise, Michael saw no malice or anger in Castiel's eyes; he saw happiness and joy just for seeing his family again. Castiel noticed the guilt in Michael's eyes and how his wings slightly wilted; he must have felt bad for sending him away alone.

Michael put his hands tentatively on his shoulders and looked at the ground, "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Castiel gave him a small smile and pulled the archangel into a hug. Michael hesitated at first out of shock, but soon returned the hug gratefully. At long last, their family was together again.

* * *

***rolls on floor squealing* Oh Chuck! SO many feels! I can't take it! I seriously lose it when I see Angel-family bonding! I'm sure you can see why.**

**Review please so Cas and friends can successfully escape!**


	14. The March From Hell

***frowns* Really? Only one review? One? It's been two months, I would think I would get more than that! Ah who cares, I'm not gonna force you. I'm sure real life just got in the way or something...that's what it's like for me, being a college girl and all. It's not homework that's holding me back, it's laziness...quite annoying actually.**

**Oh and keep in mind, I wrote this BEFORE the whole Angels returning to Heaven thing on the Season 9 finale, so that portal thing they used? Doesn't exist here. Sorry.**

**I don't think we need a previously montage for his chapter. Castiel just saved the archangels and Samandriel, so now it's time to make our great escape!**

* * *

Castiel, Lucifer and Michael quickly flew to where the freed Angels were gathering. Gabriel spotted his brothers and grinned widely, "Mike! Luci!" he exclaimed as he flew towards them. Michael and Lucifer both embraced the youngest archangel before joining the other Seraphs.

Castiel found Sam, Dean, and Bobby with Balthazar and Samandriel, "Is everyone free?" Castiel asked.

Dean nodded, "We are ready for a full out jailbreak." He said.

"I wouldn't go that far." A sinister voice said.

All the Angels froze; they knew that voice all too well. They turned to an empty space where Crowley, the King of Hell stood, examining the damage. He sighed, "Three thousand years of work ruined; but I guess I have you to thank for that," he said turning to Castiel. "So you're the little runaway Angel I've been hearing about," he said as he walked towards him, "I must say, I'm impressed that you made it this far; but I you must have known I would have to eventually put my foot down."

Michael and Lucifer appeared in front of Castiel in an instant, staring Crowley down, "You're not laying a finger on Castiel or any more of our family!" Lucifer spat.

Michael stepped towards him, "After all these years…we don't plan to let you off easy." He growled.

Crowley's eyes widened in mild surprise, "Oh, asking for a fight are we?" he asked, "While I would be very obliged to do so, need I remind you of the crossfire it could cause?" he asked causing Michael to freeze, "I'm sure after all these years you wouldn't want to lay waste to your little pets."

Castiel looked at Sam and Dean who smirked at him. Castiel smiled; he should have known that those boys would have a backup plan.

Crowley began towards them again, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to start with the Angel who missed out on his three thousand years of fun." He said. Gabriel gripped Castiel's arm and Michal and Lucifer stood their ground in front of him when Crowley froze. Crowley looked at his feet and saw a Demon symbol beneath his feet.

Dean chuckled, "I can't believe you fell for it," he snickered, "Some Devil you are." The pentagram was carved deep into the ground as well as the symbols that blocked his powers.

"You may be the King of Hell, but it'll take you a long time to get out of there." Sam said.

"Now's our chance to get out of here," Castiel said as the Angels all smiled or cried in joy; they were almost free! Raphael sent some Seraphs to gather the weapons of Heaven and soon they were off. Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Castiel led the way through the maze of Hell.

All the lower Demons around them backed down instantly the moment they saw all those wings spread proudly; no one was going to take down the Angels now. As they walked, Castiel looked at his family members surrounding him. As they smiled gratefully at him, Castiel felt a warmth in his Grace that he had never felt before. This is what he had been missing all his life; the warmth of his true family.

After a long while, they reached the Gates of Hell. There was a blast of heat and light, and the next thing they knew, they were in the middle of nowhere. The Angels all squinted from the sudden sunlight and breathed in the fresh air; over three thousand years in Hell and their Father's creation had never looked so beautiful.

Castiel turned to Balthazar, "Let's get everything ready." He said. With that, they spread their wings and arrived at Bobby's house. They gathered all the ingredients and in a few moments, they were back with the other Angels. Sam, Dean, and Bobby helped the two Angels set up the ritual and Castiel stood before it; it was going to take a lot of power to create an opening to Heaven.

"You sure you have enough juice to make this work?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Castiel answered, "I guess we'll just have to see."

Balthazar stood next to him, "You won't be doing this on your own little brother," he said. Castiel smiled and nodded and the two put their hands over the ritual. The two Angels muttered the incantation and allowed their Grace to channel into the ritual, boosting its power. The entire ritual glowed white as an enormous amount of power caused the ground to shake. Castiel and Balthazar pushed as hard as they could, but Heaven was not giving in so easily.

"It's too much!" Balthazar yelled.

"Keep going!" Castiel urged, "We have to get home!" The two Angels almost stumbled backwards as Heaven tried to shove them away.

"Don't stop!" A familiar voice yelled. Castiel and Balthazar saw another pair of hands enter their vision as Gabriel stood beside them and joined in the struggle, "I'm getting my family home no matter what it takes!" he yelled.

Castiel and Balthazar watched as Anna and Samandriel ran over and lent their Grace as well. As the five pairs of hands tried to yank the door open, it still wasn't giving way.

"Don't worry little brother," Castiel heard Lucifer say as he joined in the ritual, "We're not letting this beat us!"

Michael stepped in beside his brother and channeled his Grace, "Hold on, we're almost through!" he instructed.

Castiel felt warmth as he and his siblings pulled harder and harder on Heaven's gate, and that warmth made him feel more powerful than ever. Dean and Sam stared in amazement as the seven Angels powered the ritual causing the white light to grow even brighter and the ground to shake even more. How did the Demons manage to pull this off? The ground shook violently as the light became blinding even to the Angels.

"C'mon! One more push!" Castiel yelled as he poured his Grace into the ritual. The seven Angels gave the door one final tug until a shockwave shoved them away. The ritual was now a glowing white circle.

The circle raised into the air and shot up into the sky like a disk. Everyone watched as a portion of the sky lit up in Heavenly light and a beam shone down upon the spot where the ritual had just been.

A hole of light appeared in the sky and a glowing staircase touched the ground in front of the Angels: a stairway to Heaven.

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**Yeah, it's short. But I like to put the climax in one chapter you know?**

**I feel REALLY lazy about how I handled getting past Crowley...killing him was obviously out of the question so I kinda just pulled a solution out without much thought...don't worry though, we're gonna see more of him next chappie! And Michael couldn't smite him because we know how big a fiasco it could cause thanks to Season 5. If Mike vs Luci would've been bad, Mike vs Crowley probably would've been worse...**

**BTW, while I'm thinking about it, who saw the season premier of SPN Season 10? I did, and it got some great buildup for an arc! I flipped a little shit though when Cas killed yet ANOTHER Angel...FOR GOD SAKES SHOW, QUIT MAKING ANGELS ENDANGERED! Other than that, I'm curios as to where this goes! Can't wait for the next episode!**

**Review this time please! Next time, we ascend the stairway to Heaven!**


	15. Stairway to Heaven

**Alright! Home stretch everybody! Let's do this!**

**This scene and the epilogue (soon to come) were mostly inspired by 'The Prince of Egypt' movie and the songs 'The Red Sea' and the final song directly after. The last one's not on the OST so you have to youtube it if you want a soundtrack.**

* * *

Every one stared in awe at the luminous white staircase, many of the Angels muttering amongst themselves. The four archangels walked up to the bottom step and stared at their pathway home. It was impossible to fly all the way up; for once an Angel fell from Heaven, they had to earn their way back up.

Michael placed his foot on the first step, closing his eyes as the Heavenly light washed over him; it had been so long since he felt that light. He smiled and turned to the others before beginning to ascend the stairs with Lucifer following. All the other Angels talked amongst themselves in amazement and happiness and began to follow the two archangels up the stairway.

Castiel stayed at the bottom of the stairs along with Balthazar, Anna, and Gabriel to make sure that every Angel was on the staircase; he didn't want to leave single member of his family behind. Once every Angel was well on his or her way up to Heaven, Balthazar, Anna, and Gabriel started up as well.

Castiel was about to follow when Dean called out to him, "Wait Cas." Castiel turned to face his friends who were walking towards them.

"So, what exactly happens once you get up there?" Sam asked.

Castiel shook his head, "I don't know," he looked up the staircase where the Angels were nearly halfway up, "It may take some time to undo the damage the Demon's did all those years ago."

Dean nodded, "So, this is it then," he said, "You're off to join your kind." Dean tried to keep the emotion out of his voice but was failing miserably. He had always had a sinking feeling that it would come to this; sure, Angels could travel freely, but it just wouldn't be the same. Like he told himself before; Angels belonged in Heaven, not on Earth.

Castiel felt his heart grow heavy; he never knew that leaving his best friends would be so difficult. He had no idea how long it would be until he could find time to see them again. He felt his heart being ripped in two directions; one half towards his true family that he had worked so hard to find, and the other towards the ones who became his family when he had none. Another pang came to his heart; he would have break the news about his true identity to Amelia and Claire as well.

Bobby broke the silence by stepping forwards and hugging the Angel who hugged back, "You take care of yourself boy," he said softly.

"I will." Castiel responded quietly. Castiel broke the hug with Bobby before walking over and embracing both Sam and Dean who hugged him back fiercely. Cas was the brother that Sam and Dean never had, and for that, they were grateful for their time with him. "I promise I'll come back," Castiel whispered.

Dean snorted as his eyes glassed over, "What do you need us for when you've got a whole angelic family?" He joked.

Sam chuckled softly and Castiel smiled, "You're my family too; I'll never forget that." He said. Those words only caused Sam and Dean to grip him tighter. After a few more moments of silence, Castiel broke the hug with a final good-bye and began to ascend the stairs. He looked back at them with a sad smile before trying to catch up with his siblings who were almost two thirds up the stairs.

Castiel had almost caught up with them when a loud boom caused him to whirl around. On the ground, hundreds of feet below them, a dark hole had opened in the ground. He could hear Dean, Sam and Bobby's muted cries from below as multiple beings emerged from the hole.

Castiel's eyes widened as he faced his siblings, "Demons! They're coming!" he yelled, "Hurry and get up the stairs!"

The Angels all immediately picked up the pace as they tried to hurry up the rest of the staircase without knocking anyone off. Castiel watched the Demons as they knocked Dean, Sam and Bobby aside and began to ascend the staircase. He should have known that Crowley would have escaped as fast as he did to set his army on them!

"Castiel! Hurry!" Gabriel yelled as he and Balthazar helped some Angels that had fallen behind. Castiel climbed as fast as he could; his Grace almost leapt with joy when he heard an Angel yell.

"There's the top!"

"Keep going! I'll be right behind you!" Castiel yelled to Gabriel and Balthazar to get them safely up the stairs. Castiel kept watch as the Demons were nearly halfway up the stairs by now. He looked back towards the other Angels who were all nearly at the top, but they wouldn't get in in time to close the ritual without Demon's getting through.

Castiel stood rooted to his spot with his eyes wide; this couldn't be happening! It couldn't end like this!

At that moment, Castiel felt warmth pour down on him from above. Castiel looked up to see an enormous wave of light shoot down from the sky and rain upon the Demons. Castiel watched as the Demons closest were flung off the stairs and burned into nothing by the bright light while the others were flung back into the dark whole from whence they came.

Castiel stayed where he was, watching the incredible sight as one word graced his lips.

_"Father…"_

Castiel then snapped out of his daze and hurried the rest of the way up the stairs. The light shone brightly behind him as the stairs began to vanish and Castiel reached the end of the stairs. With one final leap, Castiel launched himself from the stairs and onto the grounds of Heaven's entrance as the stairs erupted into a bright light before vanishing completely.

Castiel and all the Angels watched eyes wide and mouth agape at what they had just witnessed. A gentle breeze flowed around them, the only sound in the stunned silence. Then, as adrenaline wore off, the deep breaths of anxiety and fear became sighs and laughs of disbelief.

They had made it; they actually made back into Heaven.

The Angels hugged one another while some simply stared in awe at Heaven as if daring it to be some illusion. Castiel felt the breath get knocked out of him as Balthazar, Samandriel and Anna flew into his arms.

Gabriel wrapped him in a tight hug before kissing him on the forehead and Michael and Lucifer crushed him as tears of joy glassed their eyes over. Castiel couldn't help but smile and laugh with them; they were home…_he_ was home.

Castiel then felt a small pang of sadness as the full weight of what had happened settled in. Castiel slowly walked away from his rejoicing siblings, staring longingly at the empty space where the stairway had just been. The gates of Heaven were shut tight once again, not to be opened until the damage to Heaven was repaired. Castiel imagined Sam, Bobby, and Dean staring up at the dark sky, knowing that it would be a long time before they ever saw their friend again.

Castiel sighed, "Good-bye Dean." he whispered sadly. Castiel took a deep breath, and with a heavy heart, he walked back to where his family was rejoicing.

Meanwhile, down on Earth, Dean stared at the sky. He sighed deeply, "See ya Cas," he whispered.

With that, he turned around and followed Sam and Bobby to find a way back to South Dakota.

* * *

Castiel stared in amazement as he followed the archangels along with the other Angels into Heaven. He had always wondered what Heaven would look like, and it was more beautiful than he could ever imagine. Castiel stopped as the other Angels flew in all directions, happier than ever to be back in their holy domain.

Balthazar stopped beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Look at them Cas," he said gesturing to the Angels. Castiel looked at all of their smiling faces as he felt their Graces soar with raw emotion, "They're free…our family is finally free." Balthazar said.

Castiel looked at his brother and smiled; from this day forward, the Angels would finally roam the world once again.

* * *

**We made it back to Heaven! Hooray! But we're not done yet! We still have a small epilogue to wrap this up! I'll probably post it in two or three days so you guys can have a chance to absorb this.**

**The good-bye scene for Team Free Will was actually very sad to write...but since I promised those one shots we should get a reunion sometime in the near future. I'm hoping Season 10 of SPN will get me motivated!**


	16. Two Worlds, Two Families

"Are you ready Castiel?" Lucifer called.

"Yes…I believe so." Castiel responded.

"Well come one bro, let's see it!" Gabriel urged.

Castiel took a deep breath and walked out into the view of his brothers. He was wearing a white robe that all Angels wore, with a yellow sash around the middle and a yellow collar. The pure white of the robe contrasted his black wings greatly, making them seem even more majestic. Michael, Lucifer, Balthazar and Gabriel stared at their youngest brother. They had waited and hoped for so long that they would be able to see Castiel as a full grown Angel and it hadn't come soon enough.

"What do you think?" Castiel asked as he looked himself over.

"It's perfect," Michael responded, "Just perfect."

Balthazar nodded as he slung an arm around Castiel, "_Now_ we're really a family again." He said.

The five Angels walked to the edge of Michael's nest that overlooked all of Heaven. Castiel walked towards the very edge, watching all his brothers and sisters fly about Heaven.

On every Angel he could still clearly see the burns that Alastair's cuffs administered. It would take years for them to properly heal but even then they would never completely vanish.

Castiel closed his eyes and spread his wings as a gentle breeze washed over them, just barely feeling his father's presence. Castiel had a strong feeling that he would return one day, but he took comfort in knowing that he was still watching out for his family.

Castiel had no idea how long it would be before he saw Sam and Dean again; it could take months, even years to repair the damage that the Demons caused over the last twenty five years. The mission to restore balance between Heaven and Hell would be a long and tedious one.

Castiel stared at the clear blue sky, not worrying about the hardships that would come with being an Angel. He was too busy looking forward to the day he would one day return to Earth and reunite with the ones he loved. He may be an Angel, but he was an Angel of two worlds; born in Heaven, and raised among humans. He belonged in both worlds and knew he would only be truly content when he was able to travel between them.

But until that day came, Castiel would enjoy his time here among his brothers and sisters and embrace his new life.

He was home, and that was all that mattered.

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**Aaaaaaaand done! Woo-hoo! **

**The robes Cas is wearing are based on the title cover! [PLEASE GIVE CREDIT TO WHENYOUBELIEVE17 ON DEVIANTART]**

**I hope you all enjoyed this story, and remember, you can look forward to the series of one-shots following this story. These one-shots will consist of many different times relating to this story, like how Cas met Team Free Will, memories with Amelia and Clair, his time with the Angels before he was sent off, and, of course, his reunion with his second family!**

**If you're wondering what I'm writing next as my next big thing, I have a poll posted on my profile. Please be sure to place your input so I can get cracking on what's next to come in the story department. If you've already voted, get other people to place a vote (we're currently tied up so I need some results)**

**However, if you want to see more Supernatural stuff from me, I've already started writing a 'Little Mermaid' based story. It will feature Fem!Castiel (because she needs more love) and LOTS AND LOTS OF DESTIEL! If that's what you wish to see next, just review and tell me!**

**See you all next time and thanks again for reading!**


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